Alice in Walkerland
by Star Jinxed Wolf
Summary: I'm Alice. I have a dog name Riddick. I used to be the little sister of 5 brothers who joined the military, and now I happen to be stuck in Atlanta during the middle of the freaking zombie apocalypse. I'm heading to Fort Benning to find my brothers, and nothing will stand in my way. Except the flesh eating monsters that seem to be everywhere. Ah, I love a good challenge.
1. Prolouge

I threw what was left of my baseball bat aside when I finished my little horror scene. The dead and decaying bodies around me lay on the concrete floor, their heads bashed in. Sure it had only been two, but armed only with a bat, it might has well of been fifty.

I glanced around my shelter to ensure I wouldn't be met with any surprises and let out a low whistle. My wolf hybrid, Riddick, padded towards me, and that's when I noticed the third unmoving figure. Apparently one of the dead had tried to get me while my back was turned. His muzzle was stained with the vile blood and his black fur was bristling in anger.

"Shit." I breathed out, falling on my knees by him, running my fingers through his mangy fur. My heart was beating a hundred miles an hour.

"Dear God." I managed to whisper in relief when I didn't encounter any bites on him. Burying my face into his dirty fur, I regained my composure and planted a kiss on the cleanest part of his head I could find. I wasn't sure if animals could be infected.

"Come on, baby." I cooed to him. "Kommen." I commanded in German. His ears perked and he trotted after me as I began walking to where we had set up out base camp.

I had stationed myself inside of an abandoned building on the very outskirts of Atlanta. Riddick and I had been here for about 3 weeks, scavenging what we could and gathering our supplies. A few days ago, I ventured out far enough into the city and found a hunting store. I'm talking redneck, backwoods, southern boy hunting store.

Damn thing hadn't even been _touched_. I lifted 3 shotguns, 1 hunting rifle, and a _very _nice hunting knife plus enough ammo to last me a while. The overall size of the knife was 13 inches and the blade was almost 8 inches.

On my way back to my "batcave", I ran across a policeman. Or what used to be a policeman. He had half of his face eaten off, was missing both his arms, and had a few decent sized chunks missing from his midsection. My knife took care of him pretty quickly and soundlessly, and I managed to lift his Glock 17 off him.

Now all my weapons were in the weapon bag that I had carried them in, which were in our room, which didn't do me much good. Riddick whined beside me, and I glanced down at him. He was hungry, and so was I.

"We're down to our last can of food." I whimpered to him, feeling my stomach snarl in discomfort. He whined again and pawed at my leg as we entered our room, base camp, and flung myself on the floor next to the bag of guns and my backpack.

"I ain't feeding you anything until I get the walker blood out of your mouth." She said, finally giving in. I stood up and whistled once again. Riddick followed me into the small bathroom the motel room had. I tapped the sink with my hand.

"Oben." He placed his front paws on the sink and waited for me to clean his teeth. I grabbed his toothbrush and the baking soda that I had found in the cafeteria and proceeded in scrubbing the lethal toxin of his pearly whites.

It didn't take too long, and when I was certain that he was immaculate, I patted his shoulder. He came up to above my waist when he was on all fours, and he was almost taller than me when he stood on just two, and I was 5'6. I sat back down where I had before and grabbed my backpack. The only can left in it was canned spam.

"Fuck." I groaned. Even if I had been born in bred in Alabama, I had never liked the taste of spam. Riddick had been bred in Germany then sent to Alabama as a present for my 20th birthday. I reluctantly peeled the top off and took out 3 of the 4 pieces and threw them to Riddick who managed to catch the first one in mid air.

Staring at the last remaining piece in the tin, I swallowed. The smell of it seemed to arouse my stomach as well as disturb it.

"I'll close my eyes and pretend it's a hamburger." I muttered, and grabbed it. Tossing my head back, I dropped it in my mouth and managed to swallow it whole. I glanced at Riddick.

"_It's a freakin' zombie apocalypse and you still find it reasonable to be picky?_" he seemed to ask. "Shut up." I muttered.

_**This is my first ever Walking Dead Fanfic, so I would really appreciate NO FLAMES!_

_German Words:_

Kommen: "Come"

Oben: "Up"


	2. Escaping the City

I decided that it would be safer to move farther away from the city. The only reason I had stayed so long was because I was hoping that if there was any sort of military, and government left, they would show up here. Besides, I needed to find my brothers. They were pains in my asses, but they were the only family I had now.

"Besides you Riddick." I murmured sleepily to my traveling companion. He opened his eyes and perked his ears at the sound of his name.

"Don't worry, buddy," I encouraged, "We'll move out first light. Do a little hunting in the forests around here, get us some venison. Then we'll move towards Fort Benning."

Riddick stood up and walked towards me. I was lying on my back, and he came over and laid halfway on top of me. I gasped as his weight knocked the breath out of me.

"Yeah, buddy," I wheezed, "I love you too."

0

0

Keeping good to my promise, as soon as the sun started to peak over the horizon, I was up and packing my stuff. My now lucky hunting knife was secured in its sheath on my jeans, and I had the Glock shoved into the waistband of my pants, though I had no intention of using it this close to the city. Riddick paced nervously in front of me and whimpered when I approached the door.

"What?" I whispered to him. He continued to whimper and paw at my jean clad legs. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the gun bag with my shotguns, rifle, and ammo in it. I approached the door that led to the lobby of the motel. Made wary by Riddick's unease, I cracked the door open ever so slightly. The hallway was empty, and I could glimpse part of the lobby.

Nothing moved, and I couldn't hear anything either. I opened the door more and slipped out, Riddick beside me. As I closed the door, I felt a pang of sadness. This place has sheltered me for a long time, and now here I was, walking out into God knows where.

"Kommen, Riddick." I said quietly, the gun bag slung over my shoulder while I pulled my knife from its sheath. We made our way into the lobby and out the door with no problem, which really puzzled me. "Where in the hell are the Walkers?" I implored. The street was empty, and I had a clear shot two the woods that were about a mile or so from where I was standing. "When life gives break, don't question it." I conciliated, and me and Riddick took off to the Georgian forest.

0

0

We reached the forest line before nightfall, and I was seeking shelter. There was no way I was going to be spending my night in the dark with no place to hide.

"Maybe we should climb a tree?" I suggested to Riddick. He stared back at me.

"_Do I look like a squirrel to you?_"

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Calm down, it was just an idea. Don't get all mad."

Grumbling, I began to walk around, my hunting knife unsheathed and in my hand. We walked a good way into the depths of the forest until we came across a hole of some sort. It wasn't exactly a cave, but it did open up into a larger chamber once you climbed through. I whistled loudly into the hole, and Riddick sprang forward.

"No, not you." I scolded, pushing him back. I did it again and listened for any noises. Nothing. Grinning, I shoved my things into it and Riddick went in before I could stop him. I followed suit, and found the inside bigger than I had thought. It held me and Riddick just fine, and we even had a bit of head room.

"Welcome to our humble abode." I muttered sarcastically, and Riddick buried his head under his paws.

"Well, goodnight." I yawned. Before I let myself relax completely, I took my gray backpack and shoved it in front of the small opening that I could barely fit myself through. Then I took the luxury of stretching out and letting my head rest on the cold stone floor.

0

0

By morning, I was very sore, but fully rested, which meant that we could progress with my idea. Riddick had moved against my back, and was still sleeping when I started to get up. I shoved him, and he growled and rolled over.

"Get up!" I said quietly, shaking his shoulder.

Riddick opened his eyes and glared at me. I snorted as he stood up.

"Sorry I disturbed your beauty rest." I sarcastically apologized.

His eyes met mine. "_You should be._"

I got down on my stomach and cautiously moved the backpack out of the way. Peering out of the hole, I saw…nothing. No Walkers anywhere. My stomach growled and I had a new urgency to get out of my new "batcave". Me and Riddick wouldn't last lone without some food.

I crawled out of the whole and Riddick followed silently. I reached back into the cave to grab my gun bag and backpack. I thought that it would be better to store them somewhere where I could reach them quickly. The cave could be overrun when I return, and then I would lose all if my equipment.

"But for now," I said as I unsheathed my knife, "we are on the hunt."

With that, we both headed into the forest.


	3. Revelations

Our hunt was pretty uneventful. We were still pretty close to the city, so we didn't find a lot of animals to dine on, but we did find some food. Blueberries. I mean, we found a whole patch of them.

"Riddick, say hello to dinner." I said, bending over to start picking.

Riddick sniffed them, and then withdrew his nose. He looked at me hard.

"Fine! _Gehen ertappt sich ein Eichhörnchen_." I snapped.

He looked at me again, and then trotted off in a random direction, his nose to the ground looking for so said squirrel. I rolled my eyes, and popped a few of the berries in my mouth. I actually wasn't a big blueberry fan, but when life gives you lemons, you eat them. Well, at least during the apocalypse. When I was done, Riddick came back with a squirrel dangling from his jaws.

"_Essen Sie hier_." I said, ordering him to eat it here.

I didn't want to risk taking the squirrel and its bloody stench back to our cave. The walkers would be all over us, and I wouldn't be able to get the job done with just a knife. I still wasn't going to risk a gunshot. As Riddick scarfed down his squirrel, I popped a few my berries into my mouth.

Neither me or Riddick heard the bush rustling behind us, or the Walker that stumbled out until it was almost too late. Riddick's head shot up, which in turn alerted me.

I spun around and barley managed to grab my knife before the rotting corpse was on me, I fell backwards, and I knew I wasn't going to get out of this one. I shut my eyes, and prayed the Riddick would run and not try to help me. It would be the death of him.

I was just managing to keep its groaning face from my skin, and I was thankful it seemed to be missing one of its arms. Finally, I was able to shove the knife into the dead guys head, and as it stopped moving, I shoved it off.

"Oh my God." I gasped. I was still lying on the ground, and my arms and legs felt like wet noodles. Riddick was beside me instantly, licking my face, smudging blood from the walker on it. I noticed now that he had grabbed the Walkers leg and had pulled the entire time, trying to get it off of me.

"Oh my _God._" I said again, burying my face in my hands. My knife was still in the unmoving body, and I felt so exposed. I had the poisonous blood all over me, and it was drying into an uncomfortable crust on my skin.

"I'm alive, Riddick. I'm freakin' _alive_!" I started crying. I had been close to Walkers before, but I always had the upper hand. I never thought that I was going to die, even when I had to kill one, but this? I couldn't defend myself, and if it hadn't been for Riddick pulling, I would have not been able to hold him off me.

Removing my hands, I grabbed Riddick by the scruff of his neck and pulled him close until our noses almost touched.

"You are the luckiest damn dog I've ever known." I whispered to him, recalling all the moments that he had saved my ass. "And you are the best damn dog I've ever known." Leaning my forehead against his, I whispered in his ear. "_Ich liebe dich_." He wagged his tail.

0

0

After my brief encounter with death, I had finally shaken off my fear and headed back to my cave. I almost left my knife in the Walkers decaying head, but I remembered to snag it. My clothes reeked, but I didn't have the mental strength to go and find somewhere to wash off. All I wanted to do was find a place to be safe. I shoved my gun bag and my pack through before I crawled in followed by Riddick.

I didn't even bother with putting the bag in front of the hole, I just laid down and closed my eyes. I latched on to Riddick as he settled down next to me. For the first time since the outbreak first started, I was scared.

Sure, I live in fear every day. Running, fighting, scavenging, killing, they were all part of a normal day for me. I had learned to push the fear aside. I had learned to _survive_. But now, my terror was on the surface. Above running, fighting, scavenging, and killing.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, I had prayed every night that this was all a dream. I wanted to believe that I would wake up in my cozy 2 bedroom house with my alarm blaring in my ear, telling me it was time to get ready for work.

Riddick was facing me, his paws tucked under his chin. He just stared at me, his eyes somber and sad.

"I don't want this anymore Riddick," I snarled, suddenly angry. "I'm not even living. I am barely making it now as it is."

Riddick continued to stare at me. His eyes were deep brown. The same brown as Adam's eyes. And Jacob's. And Chris's. My heart twisted in a weird way, not pleasant but not completely unwanted.

"You're right," I whispered though Riddick had done nothing, "I have to stay alive for my brothers. I have to find them." I closed my eyes and settled into the dusty floor. But not before I kicked the gray pack in front of the door and unsheathed my hunting knife from my belt.

I couldn't help the grin that tugged at my lips as I thought of family again. Adam, Jacob, Chris, Bryan, Vincent. Then I thought of the numerous dead that were just outside my 'door', trying to keep us apart and full out smiled.

Completely different from my previous attitude only moment ago, I burst out laughing.

"Come and get me, bitches!"

_German Words:_

Essen Sie hier: "Eat it here."

Ich liebe dich: "I love you."

Gehen ertappt sich ein Eichhörnchen: "Go catch yourself a squirrel!"


	4. Fishing

I didn't sleep much last night. Whenever I managed to lie down and rest, nightmares invaded my mind and jerked me right back out of it. So between cleaning my weapons, reorganizing my backpack and snacking on blueberries, I didn't get my beauty rest. And I'm sure it was showing.

I decided to let Riddick sleep in, seeing as we would be in these woods for a few more days before I headed towards Fort Benning. Crawling over him, I nudged the backpack out of the way ever so slightly so I could see my surroundings. The sun was just peaking out over the horizon, and I was reluctant to go out when I didn't have 100% visibility.

It was when I was pushing the pack in front of the hole again when Riddick's head lifted from his paws. He let out a loud yawn and stood up to stretch. I dug around in my pack again and pulled out a handful of berries.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him, extending my hand towards his nose.

He glared at them disdainfully before hesitantly lowering his head to lick up the offered meal. I felt bad for him, and as I observed his matted and filthy fur, I came to a decision.

"We're going fishing today." I declared.

Riddick looked up at me, his expression blank.

"_Angeln._" I reiterated in German. He wagged his tail.

0

0

We walked around for quite some time before we actually came across water. It was an extraordinary color of blue, and it looked as if it had come from a bigger body of water. I approached it cautiously, and did a quick survey of the area. When I deemed it safe, I took of my boots and rolled up my jeans.

The water was cool and felt good on my exposed legs. Riddick wasted no time bounding into the river, scattering drops everywhere. He barked happily, and for one I didn't tell him to be quiet.

"You'll scare away all the fish." I said casually, stepping out of my jeans and throwing off my shirt, leaving me in a tank top and underwear.

I thoroughly enjoyed my bath, scrubbing the grime off of my skin and my hair before I started scrubbing my t-shirt and jeans. Riddick was father upriver, his head darting underwater frequently, and only a few times did he come up with fish.

When I was convinced that I wouldn't smell, I got out of the water and reached into my backpack. I pulled out a pair of shorts and a black _Disturbed_ T-shirt, and hastily put them on.

"Riddick," I said.

He looked up at me from his spot in the river, and gave a small whine in question. I patted my leg, and he came running over, his fish forgotten. I couldn't help but smile as he shoved his head underneath my hand.

If there was one thing Riddick enjoyed the most, it was affection.

"Even during the apocalypse, you're still spoiled rotten." I cooed to him, running my hands through his hair and scratching his ears.

His tongue lolled out of his mouth, and his chocolate eyes peered at me. We stayed like that for a few moments before my stomach growled loudly, making Riddick perk his ears.

I grimaced and turned my attention to the fish that were lying on the bank. I didn't want to risk grilling the fish, because the smell might attract unwanted attention. And I wasn't talking about bears.

"I could probably eat it raw," I mused to myself, "I think I saw that on a 'Man vs. Wild' episode."

Standing up, I decided to take my chances. It took me longer than I thought to prepare the fish into an edible form, but in the end it was worth it. Riddick didn't wait at all before ripping into the fish and devouring it, even chewing on the head.

"Damn, it's like eating a fillet made in heaven!" I moaned, savoring the feeling of food in my stomach. "What I wouldn't give to have a slice of lemon, though."

When I managed to stomach as much raw fish meat as I could, I glanced back at the fish.

"You know, Riddick," I said, "on the 'Man vs. Wild' episode, Bear also sucked the water out of the fish's eyes."

I looked back down at the remains of my fish, and laughed.

"That guy had one hell of a stomach." I finished, leaning up against a rock and enjoying the last few moments of the suns warmth. I was glad I brought all my gear with me, because I really wasn't planning on heading back to the small cave that had been my shelter for the past couple of days. With my feet in the water and my butt on the sandy bank, I wasn't ready to go anywhere.

Even as the sun sank lower and lower, I didn't move from my spot. The entire area seemed so safe and serene; it was actually possible to imagine that nothing was going on. No flesh eaters, no deadly virus. I felt like I was on a vacation.

"You know, it's kind of funny that in my entire 4 years of working at that stupid vet's office, I never took a freaking day off." I said, talking more to myself than Riddick, since he couldn't understand what I was saying.

"I wasted four damn years working for that demon of a boss, Mrs. Kimming, and I never took a day off because I was planning on going to visit my brothers down here." The irony of the situation hit me, and I let out a humorless laugh. "Four years I am not getting back."

I didn't let myself dwell too much on my past life, because I didn't feel like remembering all my friends who were either dead or one of the Walkers. Sighing, the darkness enveloped my small haven, and I felt the first chills of night engulf me.

"I miss Alabama." I whispered quietly to Riddick, he was staring of into the darkness, "Georgia weather changes quicker than I can change clothes."

I didn't sleep that night.

0

0

Morning came early, thank God, and stayed at my post on the giant rock playing Sentry. I think I was becoming an insomniac from all of this. Riddick was shifting on the ground near my feet, and his ears kept rotating back and forth, as though he could hear something.

He looked up at me and whined, his tail stuck between wagging and sticking straight out in aggression. It puzzled me, but I pushed it aside and kept my silent vigil until the sun was above the tree line.

"Okay, now we can get the day started." I declared, hopping of the rock with my hunting rifle in my arms. The morning air was still crisp and cool, so there was a better chance of large game prancing about looking for breakfast.

I had fully intended to go out hunting for an hour or two, come back to camp, dress the game, preserve it to the best of my abilities (cooking it being the best but least favored option), and then heading out before nightfall.

But you know, nothing goes the way I want it. It's in the Mason blood line, I think.


	5. Children

Just as I was about to head out of camp to hunt, locked and loaded, Riddick caught my attention. He was bristling and growling, his head shoved in the same direction as I was about to head. Straining my ears, I could faintly make out what he heard.

"…Run!...can't…" it sounded like to me like children, and for a second I thought that maybe they were just playing tag our something. Which is really stupid, because who would be playing tag in the middle of Walker infested woods?

Then I heard the moan. No, I heard the _moans_, as in plural. I was about to raise my hunting rifle when something barreled into my side. I hit the ground with an audible groan, and within seconds Riddick was next to me, baring his teeth and snarling.

I heard a squeak of fear, and that was when I realized it was a child. Opening my eyes, I glanced at her before surveying my surroundings. I heard another groan, this time closer. I let out a sigh, Riddick snarled, and the girl lying shivering next to me started to cry.

Call it maternal instincts, call it pity, or call it the fact that I hate crying kids, I was on my feet and quickly ushering her to her own. The girl's blonde hair framed her small pale face, and as I grabbed her by the shoulders I looked into her blue eyes.

"You gotta be quiet, okay?" I pleaded. Riddick was growling at something behind me and I quickly spun around, slipping my knife out of its sheath as I did. One lone walker stumbled into the small clearing by the water, and it lunged for me.

Riddick barked once. The walker kept stumbling. He barked twice. Still stumbling. Third time. Still stumbling after me. I guess that was the last straw for Riddick. He let loose a snarl that would put a grizzly to shame and leapt at the creature.

I, ever vigilant to my surroundings, spotted a brown blur shooting into the clearing. My knife held up, I turned to face it, only to realize it was another child.

"Where the hell do you all keep coming from!" I growled, exasperated. The new addition to my child daycare, a boy, pointed in the direction that he came from, and clung to my leg along with the girl. Turning back to Riddick, I saw the Walker on the ground, and I saw Riddick rear up and his paws smash down on the walkers head.

Turning back to the direction Kid 2 pointed me in, I saw a Walker pop out. The girl screamed, and I felt like slapping her. Stepping away from them, after shaking them off my leg, I headed to the danger. Despite my pounding heart, it was relatively easy to dispose of the corpse, and as it fell to the ground I pulled my knife from its head.

I returned my attention to the kids who were on the ground clutching to each other as Riddick stood nearby, the blood on his muzzle blending in with his black fur.

"Hey, Kids," I called to them, sheathing the knife before I turned back to them.

They both looked at me with tears in their eyes.

"We're sorry!" the girl sobbed. The boy next to her nodded quickly in agreement.

"I don't care if you're sorry. I wanna know if you got bit." I said, glancing over them with my trained eyes.

Both of them shook their heads simultaneously in a comical way.

"No, we didn't. We were playing and we went too far from camp, and then the Walkers were there so we ran." The girl said.

"Camp?" I asked, my eyes lighting up at the prospect of it. Camp means civilization, civilization means people, people mean protection, and protection means I can sleep without waking every few seconds.

The boy nodded. "Y-yeah. We have a lot of people back at our camp." A guilty look passed over his features. "They're probably looking for us right now."

I looked at them suspiciously. "What's your names?" I asked them.

The boy seemed to be a little bolder than the girl.

"That depends. What's yours?" he demanded.

I glared at him and he seemed to shrink in on himself.

"You got a mouth on you." I sneered. Riddick tensed up beside me and bristled.

The boy looked down, and I felt a little bad about it. The kid almost got eaten, and here I was being a bitch.

"Alice." I said. He looked up at me again.

"I'm Carl." He said, his brown hair hanging messily in front of his face.

"My name is Sophia." The blonde girl said, hiccupping.

"Huh, well, this is Riddick. He aint as scary as he looks. Trust me." I said as I pet Riddick.

I walked over and helped them stand up on shaky legs, and their eyes immediately flew to the dead people on the ground. Sophia let out a strangled noise, but Carl looked up at me in awe.

"How do you know how to use a knife?" he asked.

That puzzled me. The way he asked it sounded like he thought women were incapable of defending themselves.

"Uhh, I practiced?" I said, unsure if it was the best answer.

"How did…Riddick kill the walker? He doesn't have a knife or a gun." Sophia asked as I guided both her and Carl away from the corpses.

I was about to blurt out the dynamics of it all, but I took a second look at them. They looked like they couldn't be any older than 12, and I was sure that their mom, if she was alive, wouldn't want them to know such graphic details.

"Um, I don't think that is very important right now." I said weakly.

Sophia merely looked at me before she glanced down at her stomach as it made a horrendous rumble. She looked embarrassed, and I felt a bolt of sympathy go through me.

"You hungry?" I asked her. She nodded her head.

"My daddy takes most of the food my mommy and I get." She said quietly, wrapping her arms around her midsection. As I listened, I couldn't help the fact that her dad sounded a lot like my stepdad. In other words, an asshole.

I glanced at Carl who, was staring at Riddick.

"Are you hungry too?" I asked, heading towards the river not even a few feet away. His eyes followed Riddick as he padded after me.

"He's big for a dog." He said.

I nodded. "He's a mix between a German Shepherd and a Grey Wolf." I explained, kneeling down by the water and pointing at it. "Riddick, _angeln._"

His head dove beneath the water, and I stood guard as hunted for his fish. The first couple of times, he came up empty handed.

"What is he doing?" Carl asked, coming closer to the water, followed by Sophia.

"He's fishing. It takes him a while, but he's really good at it." I said, deliberately making my voice friendly and carefree.

As I was talking, Riddick's head popped up, and in his mouth, he proudly displayed a fish.

They children squealed in delight, and even I let in a little laugh as he dropped it on the ground.

Sophia wrinkled her nose. "We have to eat it raw don't we?" she asked in distaste.

"Unless you want to attract more of those walkers, then yes, we're eating them raw.

Carl just smiled. "Cool! I bet it will taste like sushi!"

I laughed out loud, and looked at Carl. "Kid, let me tell you something. This fish will taste like a main course at one of your fancy schmancy restaurants."

I had just finished sharing the fish with Riddick and my two charges, when I heard voices in the woods. I had been telling them the whole reason I was in Georgia. I guess that being alone so long made me happy to have company, even if it was with two children.

"Carl! Sophia!" the voice repeated several times. Both of the children perked up at their names.

They were about to run towards it when Riddick stepped in the way.

"Woah!" I exclaimed, coming to block them myself. "Are those your people?" I needed conformation before I let them run off into the unknown.

"Yeah!" Carl said in excitement, "That's Shane! And my Dad!"

I nodded, but I was still wary. "Call them. Let them find us." I said. My Glock ready in my hand in case of any unwanted trouble.

"Dad! Shane!" Carl called while Sophia yelled, "Mr. Grimes! Mr. Walsh!"

For a second, nothing happened, and then two men erupted from the undergrowth, weapons at hand and aimed at me.

Riddick snarled and took a step forward, which didn't go over well with the men.

"Get that mutt back!" the burly man of the two snapped, his gun trained on me.

"Mutt?" I snorted, grinning at how wrong he was.

"Put your weapon down!" the second man said, his gaze more on the kids than me.

"You put your weapon down." I said calmly, my gun at half-mast.

"Ma'am, this aint up for discussion." The burly guy snapped.

I snorted. "That's a hell of a way to say thanks to the person who saved your kids lives." I sneered.

Burly guy hesitated, and he took in the dead bodies on the ground.

"She's telling the truth, Shane! We were being chased and she killed the walkers that…" he was cut off by the other guy.

"Hush, Carl." He eyed me.

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"That depends, what's yours?" I asked, smiling as I reiterating the same the Carl said earlier. Carl grinned at that.

"Her name's Alice, Dad. She's looking for her brothers."

**The longest I have written! YAY! Also my first authors note! YAY! I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. I didn't know how to have Alice interact with the kids, since she was the youngest of her brothers and obviously had no kids.**


	6. Salvation

I guess that wasn't what the men expected to hear.

"What do you mean you're looking for your brothers?" Burly guy asked.

I rolled my eyes. Really, there aren't too many definitions for that.

"Um, I guess it means I'm looking for my brothers…" I said slowly.

As I talked, the second guy lowered his gun, and motioned for his partner to do the same.

"Shane, I think she's fine." He said as he kept his eyes trained on my half raised weapon.

Burly guy, Shane apparently, did so grudgingly.

"I'm Rick Grimes, and this is Shane Walsh. I apologize if the children caused you any inconvenience." Rick said in a very sincere way.

During the confrontation, the kids had moved away from me towards their group, and Riddick had moved closer to me. I deemed it safe and clicked the safety on my gun and stuck in the waistband of my pants.

"Not much, in fact, it was probably a good thing they ran into me. Would've been Walker food if they hadn't." I explained, relaxing my stance.

I noticed Shane eyeing the fish blood by the bank of the river. He pointed at it.

"What's that from?" he questioned.

"Ah, the kids were hungry, so I decided they could do with a decent meal. Riddick is great at fishing." I said. I decided to brag a bit since Riddick couldn't do it himself.

Shane nodded, and so did Rick.

"That was kind of you." Rick said, inclining his head towards me. He and Shane shared a look.

"You know, the kids mentioned something about you guys having a group nearby." I queried.

Shane and Rick glanced at each other uncertainly, and I let out a small laugh.

"Come on, guys. I'm one person. Well, there's Riddick, but I don't think that we'd be a threat to a group as big as you guys. Plus, I think you owe me one for saving you kids." I reasoned, knowing that they'd have to take that into consideration.

They both turned so that I wouldn't see their faces, and I waited patiently, Riddick pranced about by my feet. Finally, they turned back to me and gave me a slow nod. I grinned, and I let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Thanks, guys. I don't think that I could've been out here another night, especially after all the screaming that those two did." I said appreciatively.

….

I thought that they would put up more of a fight about me bringing a dog back to their camp, but they didn't. As I followed them through the dense Georgian woods, Carl and Sophia walked beside me, and they tried to fill me in on everything and everyone back at their hideaway.

"And there is Amy and Andrea. They're sisters." Sophia added. "Amy usually watches me when my parents are busy."

"Dale owns the big RV. Jim used to be a mechanic, and he usually fixes it whenever it breaks." Carl said.

"Uh-huh." I said absently as I tripped over a dead branch. I caught myself before I hit the ground, but my face flushed in embarrassment. Riddick pressed against my legs, and I had to push him away before I tripped again.

Rick glanced back at me.

"You all right?" he asked, the corners of his mouth lifting up slightly.

I grinned at him, "Peachy." I said sarcastically.

"It's just up ahead. We set up camp at a small quarry." Shane said without looking back.

"Is there no walkers up there?" I asked in disbelief. Sure we had traveled quite a distance from where I had taken down the walkers chasing Carl and Sophia, but it seemed like a stretch to assume that none had made its way up here.

"We get one or two strays wander their way into the area, but they don't make it pass our set perimeter." Shane assured.

Suddenly, we broke out of the woods and stepped onto a dirt trail, and as I followed the path with my eyes, I spotted the top of a RV poking above the hill. I pointed to it.

"Is that it?" I asked uncertainly. It didn't look too big to me. Not big enough to hold all the people that the kids had listed off to me.

"Yep." Rick said, walking. I stood there a second before I hurried after them. Riddick had his nose in the air and was sniffing loudly. I kept my eye on him, and when he didn't bristle or snarl, I laid my hand on his head.

"I think we found ourselves some hope." I smiled at him, and in turn he leaned against me leg. This time I didn't push him away.

...

When I walked into camp, I expected surprise. What I didn't expect was two anxious mothers hurling themselves at my group. I winced as Carl and Sophia retold their story, exaggerating a bit.

"…and then Alice and Riddick jumped in and saved us!" Carl finished.

"Who's Alice and Riddick?" One of the women, gray short hair, asked.

I _had _been hiding, shielding myself behind Shane's big figure, nibbling on my thumb nail, but he just _had _to move out of the way. I froze, stunned, before I gave the women an anxious and uncertain smile.

"That would be me." I said, sending a minute glare towards Shane who just smirked.

The other woman had long brown hair, and she stepped towards me, pulling me into a hug. I was uncomfortable with the close contact, and Riddick stiffened at my side. Hesitantly bringing one hand around to pat her back, I let out a nervous laugh.

"Thank you." She said quietly. Letting go of me (thankfully) and stepping back.

"My name's Lori." She said, wrapping her arm around Carl. "I'm Carl's mother."

"And I'm Carol." The gray haired lady said, her arm slung similarly around Sophia's shoulder, "I'm Sophia's mother."

I was tempted to go off on a tangent about how I had found their children running around the woods, but I didn't want to press my luck. After a series of introductions and being dragged around camp and the grand tour, I finally was able to slump against the RV and close my eyes.

The sun was setting, and it cast a brilliant red across the sky. Riddick was standing next to me, and his ears kept swiveling. Neither of us had been around this many people in a long time, and the noise was starting to give me a headache.

"Well, Riddick. I hope you're hungry." I said as Carol began passing around plates with beans and a strange meat on it. When I received mine, Carol was about to hand me a second.

"Whoa, what's that one for?" I asked, putting my hand out to stop it. She looked at me in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked, "It's for Riddick."

I shook my head, and I smiled at her, "Its fine, he can share with me." I paused. "Why don't you give it to Sophia." I suggested.

Carol looked at me warmly, and I was briefly reminded of my mother before I pushed the memory brutally to the back of my mind. As she walked away, I called her name.

"Carol!" she turned to look at me and I pointed towards the plate. "What kinda meat is this?"

She was about to respond when a voice interrupted her.

"It's squirrel. Ya don't have a problem with that, do ya girly?" the voice drawled. I turned to the person, and I racked my brain for a name.

"No problem, Daryl. I haven't had squirrel in years." I said cheekily. As expected, he looked at me in surprise, but I had redirected my attention back to my plate.

I ate all the beans, and set the meat on the ground for Riddick to eat. He did so hungrily, and I had to yank the plate away from him before he started to gnaw. I yawned and glanced up at the night sky just as Shane walked by with a tent under his arm.

"If you want a tent…" he started but I cut him off quietly.

"I won't need that." I assured. "I spent too many nights in the open now to feel comfortable in a tent."

Shane nodded and walked back in the direction he came from as I lowered myself to a laying position on the ground. The air had turned chilly, and I sighed when Riddick laid his top half on my chest.

"Good boy." I whispered, and he laid his head down next to mine.

...

I slept longer than I thought I would, but I still woke up with the sky dark. Riddick stirred when I tried to scoot out from under him, and he let out a tired sigh. I pushed him back down when he went to stand up, and I put my finger to my lips. He closed his eyes and was asleep in moments.

Standing up, I stretched lazily and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I walked back far enough so that I could see the top of the RV, and the old man sitting in the lawn chair on top. I think his name was Dale. I whistled lightly, and he turned his head to look at me. I motioned to the top of the RV and he nodded his head.

I climbed the ladder, and when I reached him I sat in the empty lawn chair next to him.

"Hi." I greeted. "Dale, right?"

He nodded and smiled at me. "The one and only."

We sat there for a minute, and finally he broke the silence.

"So, Carl was telling me how you were looking for your brothers?" Dale ventured.

I groaned. "I should have known better than to tell a 12 year old my life story." I said sarcastically.

Dale laughed, and I smiled slightly. "Yeah. I have five of them. All older than me." I said, my voice sounding slightly nostalgic.

Dale made a tsking noise. "That must have been fun."

"Oh yeah. Every day I was either being thrown in the pig trough or pelted with horse poop." I explained, chuckling at the memories.

"Sounds rough." Dale commented. I nodded.

"You have no idea how many bruises I would get from them alone. But they always had my back." I said, my eyelids suddenly getting heavy. "I love them."

I paused a moment. "They were stationed down here at Fort Benning. I'm originally from Alabama."

"Your brothers are in the military?" Dale asked.

"All of them are. They tried to get me to join to. To get away from my stepdad…" I trailed off when I realized where my rambling had led me.

Dale saw my tired expression, and he looked sympathetic. "You should probably get some sleep. You can stay up here if you want."

I was about to object, but I felt too tired to move. I managed to nod my thanks, and I closed my eyes.

**I have written about three chapters ahead now, and I'm trying not to deal them out all at once. Before anyone asks, because in future chapters you will notice it more, yes I absolutely HATE Lori Grimes. She never watches her kid and she is, technically, the reason Shane dies. She should have just left him alone, and he wouldn't have gone all crazy! And no, Alice will NOT hook up with anyone in Rick's group. I have a character for her in the future.**


	7. Close Call

When I opened my eyes at dawn, I expected to see Dale, not some Asian kid. He must have seen me startle, because he muttered a quick apology.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Glenn. Lori introduced us yesterday." He supplied.

I nodded and stretched out my hand between the two chairs for him to shake.

"I'm Alice, as you know. Sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you up here." I apologized myself.

"No problem. We take shifts for watch." Glenn explained, shifting the rifle in his hands awkwardly.

"You're not a gun person are you?" I asked, pulling my Glock out and checking to make sure the safety was on before I handed it to him.

He took it from me gingerly, and he examined it.

"No, I'm not, but I do know the different kinds. This one looks like it's used in law enforcement. It looks like Shane's. He was a cop before all of this happened." Glenn said, turning it over in his hands.

I nodded. "That would be correct. When I was in Atlanta, I came across a Walker. I guess he used to be a cop."

Glenn's eyes widened. "But I thought they found you in the woods." He questioned.

"Yeah, but I held out in Atlanta for a few weeks before I ran to the woods." I explained, taking back my gun and setting it down on my leg.

"Daryl will probably want to talk to you if you've been in Atlanta. He lost his brother the other day there, and he's pretty pissed." Glenn reasoned as he stood up.

I stood up as well, and looked across the clearing. It looked bigger during the day.

"Speak of the devil," Glenn said, and I followed his gaze.

Daryl was picking his way towards the RV, and me and Glenn started to head for the ladder.

"He had next shift." Glenn said as he began to climb down. I followed after him, and Daryl glared at me.

"'Bout time ya got yer ass down here. That dog hasn't left the RV, and I don't want any dog shit lying around camp." He snapped.

I swallowed my retort and smiled sweetly at him.

"Of course you don't Daryl." I walked passed him. "Asshole." I said, covering it with a cough. I could feel his glare burrowing into my back, and I smirked as headed towards Riddick. Kneeling down beside him, I scratched at his ear.

"And here I thought Georgia boys were supposed to be gentlemen." I said sarcastically. Riddick stared at me.

"_And I thought Alabama girls were supposed to like squirrel._"

I frowned as I remembered my bluff from last night.

"Smart ass." I muttered, standing up and whistling at him. "_Kommen_, Riddick." He stood and walked after me.

"Alice!" a voice called from behind me. I turned and wasn't surprised to see Rick jogging up to me. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Well, apparently Daryl doesn't appreciate the smell of dog crap, so I thought it might be best to let Riddick have a potty break." I said.

Rick smiled, but it was gone quickly. "We have a situation. One of our group members, Sarah, went out early this morning, and she isn't back. Could you…" Rick said, all business until I interrupted him.

"I'll keep an eye out for her." I promised. Riddick pranced by my side, obviously ready to go.

"You armed?" he asked.

I showed him the gun in my hand and the knife in its sheath. "And I always have my secret weapon." I said, jerking my head towards Riddick.

"Okay then, good luck." Rick said as he turned back to the camp. I stopped him.

"What does she look like?" I hollered.

"Brown hair, short, kinda on the heavy side." Rick said over his shoulder.

"Let's go." I said to my dog as I continued down the dirt road.

When we reached the woods, I let Riddick do his business.

Keeping good to my word, I spent a half hour looking for this Sarah girl. After all that time I found her, or rather what was left of her.

Me and Riddick had almost walked right on top of the feeding Walker, and I gagged at the smell. In fact, the Walker looked almost completely human, if it had not been neck deep in the stomach of a dead human.

It was so intent on its current meal, I was able to sink my knife into it head, no problem. With the threat taken care of, I turned my attention back to the half eaten body.

"What do I do with her?" I asked Riddick, my arm covering my nose. I didn't want to be insensitive, but I really hadn't known her, so I couldn't feel remorse beside the fact that another human had fallen prey to the mindless freaks.

I squatted beside the girl and spotted a necklace on her neck. I snatched it off, and quickly backed away from the body, feeling last night's dinner rise in my throat. I stuffed the necklace in the pocket of my shorts.

I was about to walk away when I heard a shifting noise. Glancing back down at the body, I saw it move.

"Fuck my life." I groaned, tightening my grip on the knife. I stepped forward, and the body jerked towards me, driven purely on the smell of my being.

It didn't get on its feet, but it began dragging itself towards me. Riddick growled a warning low in his throat, and I took another step forward. Readying my knife, I looked down at it in pity.

"I'm sorry…Sarah."

….

I was walking back into camp with blood on me. That never brings out a good response, even in a non-apocalyptic world.

"Oh my God, Alice?" a voice asked. Riddick was still walking beside me with his weight was pressed against me, and I used it like an anchor to my sanity.

Rick was the first person I saw. Then Shane, Glenn, Daryl, Carol, Lori.

"I need to take a bath." I muttered. Rick grabbed my shoulder as I tried to walk passed them all and Daryl blocked my path.

"What happened, Alice?" Shane asked.

I looked up at him, my eyes ablaze.

"That Sarah girl was being eaten when I found her. Took care of the Walker, and I was about to leave, but I forgot to put the girl down. She turned, and she came after me."

I heard Lori gasp, and I clenched my hand in Riddick's fur.

"Then this _idiot_," I snarled as I remembered my fear, "leapt in front of her. She came _this_ close to taking a chunk out of him." I held my fingers apart to show them the distance. "I managed to put her down."

I glared at the people around me. "Can I go clean up now?" I asked. Rick nodded and Daryl moved out of my way. Before I left, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the necklace. I threw it at Rick before I continued on my way.

"Her body is about a half mile from here, northwest." I mumbled.

I hardly thought as I grabbed my pack, and I almost walked right into a tree if a hand hadn't grabbed my shoulder.

I spun around and was confronted by two blonde haired girls, Amy and Andrea.

"We'd like to go get cleaned up too, if you wouldn't mind us coming?" the oldest, Andrea, asked.

I shrugged and waited as they grabbed their change of clothes. Riddick was still sulking beside me, and I knew he could feel my anger. When the sisters were ready, I let them lead the way down to the water, and I almost didn't notice Andrea walking beside me until she spoke.

"It was a close call, wasn't it?" she asked sympathetically.

"Not for me." I said quietly. "Riddick just always has to be the hero. It's going to get him killed one of these days."

Andrea shook her head. "You're his everything. I'm sure he is just as worried about you as you are about him. I mean, look at him!" she exclaimed.

Riddick had his tail between his legs and his ears were laid against his head as he cautiously looked up at me. I felt bad, but every time I thought about what had almost happened, my blood turned to ice in my veins.

I nodded in acknowledgment, and I slowly laid my hand on his head as we walked. When Andrea went to catch up with Amy, I bent over so that I could walk and talk to him.

"I'm sorry Riddick." I murmured to him, and he whined low in his throat before licking my hand. I guess it was his version of an apology.

Once we arrived at the water's edge, I undressed quickly down to my undergarments and made quick work of washing myself. Unlike Amy and Andrea who took their sweet time, I didn't like the exposed feeling that came with being half naked.

So, I took the time to wash my dirty shirt and shorts, and changed into the skinny jeans and black sweatshirt I had on a few days ago. The nights were getting cooler, and I was grateful for the warmth that my clothes would bring tonight.

Riddick had rolled around in the sand by the water's edge until the grime on the top layer of his coat was gone, but that just didn't cut it for me.

"Andrea, can I borrow some shampoo?" I called to her, and I caught the bottle she threw my way. Now came the hard part.

Riddick hated baths. He could roll around in the water all day long, but the minute I bring out soap, he freaks out. I had some help from Amy and Andrea, and eventually I managed to scrub the rest of the mud, blood, and other matter from him.

By the time we were ready to head back to camp, I was in a much better mood, to the point where I was even laughing at a joke that Amy had made.

Riddick sulked beside me, and his black fur had a glossy sheen to it. I knew it would be a matter of time before it was dirty again, and so it didn't surprise me when we reached camp and he immediately flopped in the dirt, rolling back and forth.

"What's he doing?" Carl asked as he walked up to us. Tying my black hair back into a ponytail, I answered him.

"Riddick isn't a fan of bath's," I explained, then made a show of plugging my nose, "And I can tell you aren't either." I teased.

"Hey!" he complained, but the smile on his face contradicted his words. I heard my name being called, and I looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry, duty calls." I said. He nodded and I turned to leave when his shout stopped me.

"Alice!" he began. "I heard that Sarah almost ate Riddick this morning. Is he okay?" he asked.

I froze, and I managed an easy smile. "Of course. It'll take more than one close call to keep me and Riddick down, won't it buddy?" I said, turning my smiling on Riddick.

He looked up at me impassively.

"_Liar._"

"Okay then! Bye Carl!" I said, pulling Riddick with me away from the prying boy.

"Now you're contradicting me?" I muttered to him. He ignored me and settled down by our resting space by the RV.

I turned around in a complete circle before I spotted the direction my name had come from. Shane was standing impatiently by Rick, Glenn, a guy whose name I think is T-Dog and Daryl, and I spotted Lori sulking into the RV.

"What crawled up her ass?" I muttered as I made my way towards them. Stopping a few feet away from Daryl and Rick, I turned to Shane. "Yes?"


	8. Laundry

Rick spoke before Shane could. "I'm taking a small group into Atlanta to look for a gun bag I dropped and Daryl's brother, Merle." He explained.

I nodded. "Word on the street is that you chained him up on a roof." I said, my eyebrows rising in question.

"Damn right he did." Daryl grunted, than mumbled something under his breath that sounded like, "bunch a sorry pricks."

"That I did, and I regret it now. But it was the only way to ensure the rest of the group got back safely." He explained, but as I watched his face, I saw no regret.

"So, what do you need from me?" I asked, wary about where the conversation was heading.

"We thought that maybe you could come with us. We could always use an extra hand out there." Rick said.

I looked at everyone's faces. Daryl looked annoyed that Rick would suggest a thing, Glenn looked like he was going to object, T-dog couldn't care less, and Shane was obviously hoping I would refuse.

"Wouldn't that be cutting our man power here a little short?" I said uncertainly. Shane and Glenn looked relieved.

"See! Even she thinks you're taking too many people! We are leaving the camp open to attack!" Shane snapped.

"And I think it would be smarter having a small group. Too many people attract attention." Glenn seconded.

Rick looked at me, as though I was going to change my mind, but I shook my head.

"Sorry, Rick. I appreciate you taking me in like this, but I think that I should stay behind and do what I can here. At camp." I said, scuffing the dirt with my boot.

Rick nodded in understanding. "I can see where you and Shane have your worries, but we need those guns." Rick said lowly.

My eyes flickered to Daryl, expecting him to say something about them needing his brother too, but he kept quiet.

"Yes, sir." I said quietly. "Who you taking with you, and when are you leaving?" I asked.

"Glenn, T-Dog, Daryl, and me. We head out tomorrow." Rick said, walking away.

"A lot of people." I muttered.

As the group split up, that left me and Shane standing there awkwardly.

"He's going to get this group killed." Shane growled.

My eyes widened.

"Whoa, Whoa!" I said, putting my hands up. "Don't drag me into where this is going."

Shane looked at me before shaking his head.

"You can shoot, right?" He asked. I nodded. "Let me see your piece." He demanded.

I handed it over, and saw his eyes widen. "You were a cop?" he asked.

"No, no! I was a veterinarian." I explained, quickly denying his assumption.

"Then why…" I cut him off.

"When I was in the city, I came across a walker. He had that on him, so I took it. Figured it would do me more good than him." I said, remembering what Glenn had told me about Shane being a police officer.

"Sorry." I muttered to him. He handed me back my gun before turning and walking away.

Returning back to Riddick who had already fallen asleep, I stuffed the gun into my gun bag which I kept buried under my backpack and other various items I had gathered the first day I came to camp. I hadn't really given the group any of my weapons, and I felt bad.

"I'll give some to Shane to pass around tomorrow." I said to myself as I slid down next to Riddick and the fires were dimmed. Closing my eyes, I was fully prepared for sleep to take me.

….

When I woke up the next morning, the camp was dimly lit by the rising sun, and a figure was looming over me. Only after a second did I realize it was Lori. Sighing, I relaxed the grip I had on my knife, and I lifted my head from Riddick back.

"What is it?" I snapped. I didn't like Lori after I figured out how unsupervised she left Carl.

Oblivious, as always, to my attitude, she responded, "The women are going down to the lake to wash the clothes."

I stared, daring her to elaborate what she was suggesting. She seemed to get the hint and stayed quiet, so I filled in the silence.

"Have fun then!" I said cheekily as I stretched, laying my head back down on the now awake Riddick.

"You need to come and help." Lori said harshly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Actually, no I don't. All of my clothes are nice, washed and folded in my backpack, ready for me to wear." I stated, closing my eyes. After a few moments of silence, I opened my eyes and saw Lori walking over to Shane, most likely to complain.

"Dumb bitch." I muttered under my breath. Sure enough, a few seconds later, I heard approaching footsteps.

"Hello, Officer." I sighed. "Welcome back, Lori." I said less friendly.

"Lori was telling me about how you weren't very…happy about the division of working here." Shane began, thumbs in his belt loops. "Look, the women do the cooking, cleaning, and clothes washing."

I eyed him contemptuously, and a small grin crossed my features. I stood up and heard Riddick scramble to his feet.

"What do the men do, Shane? You said yourself that there aren't any Walkers up this way." I questioned.

"I said they don't make it past our perimeter. Why do you think they don't?" Shane asked stiffly.

I shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "Just asking. But just to warn you, I am a horrible cook, and will probably poison you all unintentionally. And," I continued, poking his chest, "I refuse to touch yours or any other mans delicates."

Shane looked at me like I grew a third head, but smiled after a second. "Did I ask you too?" he asked.

I shrugged again. "Just don't be trying to get fresh with me," I joked, "I'm already taken, you see." Resting my hand on Riddick's head, I tried to relax, even though I was still angry about washing clothes. _Machines _were supposed to wash clothes, dammit!

"Whatever, just try not to cause any more trouble. A lot of folks around here have been suspicious about you since you came back to camp yesterday with Sarah's blood all over ya." Shane explained before he began to walk away.

"Yes, sir!" I said, snapping to attention and saluting him. I kept the smile on my face until he turned the corner, then I whirled on Lori.

We were about the same height, but that didn't stop me from reaching out and grabbing her shirt collar. I could see the surprise in her eyes, I would've bet she'd never had to get her hands dirty.

"Listen here," I snarled at her, yanking her towards me. "I don't like you. Now it would probably be best of you stay away from me, and if ya got a problem with me, say it to my face instead of getting your bedbuddy to do it for ya!"

When I was done, I pushed her backwards and turned around abruptly to grab my gun bag before going off in search of Shane. As I left, I heard clapping, and I turned around to see Andrea and Amy cheering for me quietly. I rolled my eyes at their antics, and I spotted Shane looking at the three of us while he was bent over the open hood of one of the few cars at camp.

He glanced down at the bag I was carrying and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Are those guns?" he asked in disbelief.

I nodded before I slammed the hood down and set the gun bag down on it. My arsenal had been diminished to 2 shotguns, 1 hunting rifle, and a few boxes of ammo for each. 1 of my 3 shotguns had been used as an improvised club when I had ran out of ammo in it, and then had broken in half.

"I was gonna give them to you last night, but I forgot to." I explained. "You can take all three of them, and the ammo. I don't think I'll need them as long as I stay near camp."

"Thanks, Alice." He muttered.

Nodding, I walked away to where Amy and Andrea were waiting with a basket in each of their arms and one by their feet.

"Don't worry, Alice." Andrea smiled, nudging the basket on the ground with her feet. "We saved one just for you."

I rolled my eyes and bent down to grab the basket.

"Oh, how ever kind of you!" I said sarcastically.

We began to walk down to the river, and I looked ahead to see Carol, Lori, and Jacqui. "The bitch is probably telling them I tried to sick Riddick on her." I growled. "If what Shane said about that Sarah incident is true then I might be out of camp by tonight."

Andrea immediately shook her head, followed by Amy's protest.

"Of course not! Besides, no one really likes Lori but the Housewives of Georgia up there and Shane. Nice jab about the bedbuddy thing, by the way." Amy said, grinning as she finished.

"Yeah, how did you know about that anyways?" Andrea asked as she turned to me.

"I heard one of the other campers talking about how she hooked up with Shane when she thought her hubby was dead. So much faith that woman has!" I said sarcastically.

I made sure that I said it extra loud, and I was rewarded with the sharp glare that Lori sent my way as she turned to face me. I stopped and dropped the basket, opened my arms, and welcomed the fight.

"Make a move, Belle." I drawled, smiling as she turned around and kept walking. That bitch just rubbed me the wrong way.

"I can't wait to see the day that you deck her, Alice." Amy said, earning her a sharp glance from her older sister.

I bent over to pick the basket back up. I was slightly surprised when Riddick grabbed one of the shirts that had tumbled out of it.

"Thanks, bud." I said as I rubbed him behind the ears.

"You probably won't have to wait long." I said to Amy, and my mouth twitched at the thought of sending Lori to the ground.


	9. Confrontation

We reached the lake in no time, and I immediately distanced myself from Lori, opting instead to sit between Carol and Amy. Now, I didn't really have a problem with Carol, because at least she attempted to be a good mom. Lori practically let the rest of the camp raise her kid.

For about a half hour, we sat in silence, scrubbing and dunking clothes in water. Lori had left after the first fifteen minutes, claiming that she had to go and collect some firewood. Probably just wanted to get out of her "duties." Hypocrite.

"I'm beginning to question the division of labor." Jacqui muttered to the rest of us. "Can someone explain to me how all the women ended up doing the Hattie McDaniel work?"

I looked up and over to where she was glancing and saw Shane and Carl splashing around in the water. I couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of me.

"The world ended, didn't you get the memo?" Amy smiled.

Carol glanced behind her at where her husband, Ed, was watching us before she turned away. "That's just the way it is."

After a few more moments of silent scrubbing, Carol spoke up again.

"I do miss my Maytag." She sighed.

"I miss my Benz," Andrea added, "My sat nav."

"I miss my coffeemaker," Jacqui said wistfully, closing her eyes as if she was picturing it, "With the dual-drip filter and the built in grinder, honey."

"My computer and texting." Amy sighed.

"Cold beer. A chilled Corona with a lime wedge." I sighed.

Andrea stopped scrubbing. "I miss my vibrator." She admitted.

We all laughed at that, and I was glad it wasn't a forced one. Carol glanced carefully over her shoulder at Ed before saying,

"Me too." We laughed louder at that, and I doubled over to try to muffle the noise.

Our moment of happiness was interrupted when we heard a deep voice.

"What's so funny?"

Andrea looked over her shoulder. "Just swapping war stories, Ed." She said. "Yeah."

He walked over and hovered behind us, watching us as we worked. I could feel his stare along my back, and Riddick growled low in his throat as he kept his brown eyes trained on the white trash.

"Problem, Ed?" Andrea asked, exasperated.

"Nothin' that concerns you." He said.

Andrea rolled her eyes before turning back to her work. So Ed lashed at Carol.

"And you ought to focus on your work. This aint no comedy club." He snarked at her.

Andrea huffed, and I snorted. I threw the brush into my barrel and stretched my arms. My butt was numb from sitting on a rock for so long, and I was scared that if I stood up I'd fall in the water because my tingly legs wouldn't hold me up.

A few more minutes of Ed's "observing", and Andrea had enough.

"Ed, tell you what." Andrea said, standing up and walking over to Carol's husband. I stood up as well, and cursed my wobbly legs as I did. I trusted Ed about as far as I could throw him, which wasn't very far.

"You don't like the way your laundry's done, you're welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here." She tossed a wet shirt at him and he threw it back in her face, ignoring her gasp of surprise. He took the cigarette from his mouth.

"Aint my job, missy." He shot at her.

"Andrea, don't!" Amy warned, coming to stand by her sister. I stood where I was, and Riddick walked forward with stiff legs and bared teeth before I ordered him back.

"What _is _your job, Ed?" Andrea pressed. "Sitting on your ass and smoking cigarettes?"

"Well it sure as hell aint listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch, tell you what." He pointed to Carol. "Let's go."

I felt my heart ache for her as she stood up with her head down. I almost grabbed her and held her back, but I knew it would just make it worse for her. Which is why I wanted to strangle Andrea when she opened her mouth.

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed." Andrea snapped.

"And I say it's none of your business." He snarled. He waved his hand at Carol. "Come on, now." He growled. "You heard me."

Andrea put a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. Carol had tears in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

"Andrea," she whispered, "Please. It doesn't matter."

"Hey!"

Andrea turned to face Ed.

"Don't think that I won't knock you on your ass 'cause your some college-educated cooze." He sneered. "Now, you come on, now, or you gonna regret it later." He directed at Carol.

That broke it for me. I stepped forward and was shoulder to shoulder with Andrea, shoving Carol behind me gently.

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed?" Jacqui spat. "Yeah, we've seen them."

He scoffed and turned his gaze away. "Stay out of this!" he shot at her. "Now, come on!"

"You know what?" He stated coldly, "This aint none of yalls business. You all don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay. Now I am done talkin'. Come on." He reached around Andrea and grabbed Carols arm and started leading her away.

"No, Carol! You don't have to…" Carol shrugged her off and muttered under her breath. The S.O.B heard.

"You don't tell me what!" he bellowed. He tightened his grip when the women tried to pull her away from him. "I tell you what!"

He slapped her across the face before we could stop him, and the crack resounded around the rock walls before our screams of outrage covered it. Amy managed to pull Carol away from him right before I balled up my fist and slammed it across his piggy face.

I heard the snap of cartilage and bone, and a thick mist of blood sprayed from his nostrils. I knew that it was horribly, _horribly _broken. It knocked him on his ass, plus the fact that Riddick had dug his fangs into his leg, and then out of nowhere, Shane appeared.

I turned briefly to see Andrea holding back a sobbing Carol, and when I returned my attention to Ed, Shane had him on the ground and was beating the living shit out of him.

All of us, minus Carol, watched on silently until we saw that Shane might actually kill him.

"Shane! Shane!" I yelled, not wanting to get close to him in his moment of rage.

"Shane!" Amy screamed. "Just stop!"

He did, only to lean down so that his nose was almost touching Ed's broken one.

"You put your hands on your wife, your little girl, or anyone else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me?" he grabbed Ed's bruised jaw when he didn't answer. "Do you hear me?"

"Y-yes…" Ed muttered weakly, his busted lips hardly able to form the words.

"I'll beat you to death Ed." Shane promised grimly, punching him one last time before standing up and kicking him in the ribs.

Carol broke from Andrea's grip and lunged at her bloody husband. "I'm so sorry, Ed! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.

Shane started to walk back to camp, and I felt a little wary about the whole situation

"Short temper on that one." I muttered to Riddick, but Amy and Jacqui nodded in agreement.

Unintentionally, I shifted closer to Riddick. Shane was one guy I did not want to get in a fist fight with, and I prayed that I would never have to. Still, I would have liked to see him continue to beat the asshole's face in.

We stayed down with Carol and Ed until the Morales guy and Jim came down, followed by Dale.

"We'll take him." Jim said to Carol, and she hovered by as the three men began to half carry, half drag the limp body up the canyon.

I let out a sigh and slumped down next to my pile of washed clothes. My knuckles were bruising, and I couldn't even flex them without feeling some kind of pain.

"It's a good thing Shane showed up when he did." I said.

Amy, Andrea, and Jacqui shared a look. I glanced at each one of them in confusion.

"What?" I asked, pulling my basket of slightly damp clothes away from the water's edge.

"You saw him. He nearly beat Ed to death." Jacqui reasoned.

"Like he deserves any less?" I questioned. "What would God have done to him, Jacqui? Does he deserve any lesser punishment?" I knew that Jacqui was the most religious.

Not saying that I don't believe in God, I just didn't have the time to pray nowadays. Then I turned to Amy and Andrea.

"What if it had been Andrea, Amy? Or vice versa?" They nodded slowly in understanding.

I stood up and gripped the basked in my left hand only. I balanced it on my waist before turning away.

"If you ask me, I think that bastard got exactly what he deserved."

….

Upon arriving back at camp, I didn't see Carol, Ed, or Shane.

"She must be tending to Ed." Jacqui said to me. I assumed she was referring to Carol

"I'm wondering where Shane went. It probably isn't good for him to be running around in the state he's in." I whispered.

Jacqui made a noise of acknowledgement and started walking towards the clothesline. I was about to follow her when Andrea grabbed my shoulder.

"Hey," she said.

"Um, hi?" I said uncertainly. I knew she was going to ask me for something.

"Tomorrow is Amy's birthday, and I was wondering if you had anything that I could use to wrap her present in." she explained.

"Well, I have some pink toilet paper I took from the motel I was at." I suggested, smiling at the relieved look Andrea shot me.

"Thanks, Alice. Dale has everything in that RV but colorful paper."

"No problem," I said. I glanced behind me to make sure that Amy wasn't near. "What did ya get her?"

Andrea shifted the basket and reached into her back pocket, bringing back a mermaid necklace.

"Wow. That's pretty convenient." I said.

"I picked it up when we got stuck in Atlanta." Andrea explained. "I hope she likes it."

"It's pretty. She'll like it." I reassured, and followed after Jacqui.


	10. Fish Fry

After the clothes were done, Amy and Andrea borrowed some fishing gear from Dale and went out to catch some dinner.

"I'm getting tired of squirrel." Carl complained.

We were seated by the dead fire. Due to the extreme heat that had come today, I had shed the sweatshirt so that I was left in my black tank top. Riddick was chewing on what was left of a stick that Sophia had thrown him earlier.

"Me too, but I won't tell Daryl that." I muttered. "I think that that would be a blow to deep for his pride. It might kill him."

Carl laughed and returned his gaze to the mathematics book which Lori forced him to do.

"Do you like doing homework?" I questioned, plucking a piece of grass from the almost bare ground.

"No. I don't see the point." He grouched, his pencil scribbling away at the page.

"Sorry man. Maybe I can talk to your Dad when he gets back. Try to lessen your load a little bit." I offered. He nodded in thanks, and I stood up.

Riddick abandoned his stick and followed me instead, his tail wagging.

"You're too happy." I muttered to him. "It's quite annoying actually."

"_You're annoying too_"

"Oh really? When?" I asked him, continuing to walk to the RV, intending to get a drink.

"_When you give me a bath. I'll get dirty again, so what's the point._"

"Because I don't like my hair getting dirty when I use you as a pillow." I explained, stepping through the door and into the kitchen section.

He went to follow me, but Shane called to me,

"Don't let him in the RV!" I rolled my eyes.

"Ok!" I called back. "Riddick, _blieben_." I said to Riddick. He whined in protest, but sat down and watched me through the doorway.

"You're more protective then a mother hen." I said to him, reaching into the cabinet to get a bottle of water.

It was warm, but with the temperature in the 100's, I didn't really care. Stepping out of the cramped space and back outside, I sat down in my spot. I had gotten a blanket from the RV and laid it out on the dusty ground so I wouldn't be laying in dirt and bugs when I slept.

Sitting down, I dug around in my backpack until I found the novel I had stolen from Dale's book supply. Sure _Black Beauty _wasn't my ideal book of choice, but Dale had a bad selection to choose from.

After almost an hour of reading, I heard a loud commotion. Looking over the brim of my book, I saw Andrea and Amy come waltzing in with about 2 dozen fish. My jaw dropped.

"We will eat well tonight!" I squealed to Riddick, patting him on the stomach, which had bulked up quite a bit in the past few days. I was glad, though.

Both of us scrambled up and darted towards them.

"Ha! Ladies, because of you, my children will eat tonight. Thank you!" Morales laughed, taking the fish strings from the sisters.

"Thank Dale," Andrea said, "It's his canoe and gear."

"Mom, look! Look at all the fish." Carl exclaimed, and Morales swung around to let Lori get a better look.

"Ah, thank you." Lori laughed, shying away. Priss.

"Whoa." Carl said, poking the dead fish.

"Yeah, whoa, where did you to learn to do that?" Lori questioned.

"Our dad." Amy answered.

"Can you teach me?" Carl asked.

"Sure! We'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff." Amy said, eyeing Andrea. "If that's ok?" she asked Lori.

"You won't catch me arguing."Lori said.

"Ok, guys." I said when there was a break in the conversation. "The real question is who wants to clean them? Not it!" I said quickly

After the debate over who was going to clean the fish, Dale walked up.

"Hey Dale! When's the last time you oiled those line reels, they are a disgrace!" Andrea jabbed, a friendly smile on her face.

He didn't react to it one bit, and I felt suddenly nervous at the look on his face. I reached around and made sure that my gun was still tucked safely in my waist band, and my hand drifted to the knife I had sheathed on my thigh.

"I uh…I don't want to alarm anyone but we may have a bit of a problem." Dale said, pointing towards the top of the ravine as Shane joined us.

I glanced up and saw the figure of a man bobbing up and down behind the foliage, and I dimly saw the shovel he held in his hands.

"Is that Jim?" Shane asked.

"Is he digging?" I asked in confusion, wiping the sweat of my brow with my left arm while my right hand stayed on my knife.

"Yeah." Dale nodded.

….

When we reached Jim, he was shoveling dirt in a vigorous manner, not evening looking up as we approached. I stood next to Shane, making sure to keep my hands harmlessly by my side so I didn't scare him. We just stood there for a few seconds watching him.

"Hey, Jim." Shane said. "Why don't you hold up, alright, just give us a second here, please."

Breathless, Jim stuck his shovel in the ground and turned to face the posse. "What do you want?" he snapped.

"We're all just a little concerned, man, that's all." Shane reasoned.

"Dale says you've been out here for hours, Jim." I spoke up, shifting from one foot to the other.

"So?" he shot at me.

"So why ya digging?" Shane asked. "What, are you heading to China, Jim?" He laughed a little.

"What's it matter? I'm not hurting anyone." Jim finished, returning to his digging.

"Yeah, except maybe yourself. It's a hundred degrees today! You can't keep this up." Dale tried reasoning with him.

"Sure I can! Watch me!" Jim lashed, becoming agitated.

Lori stepped forward. "They're not going to say it, so I will. You're scaring people. My son, and Carol's daughter."

"They got nothin to be scared of. I mean, what the hell people, I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all go and leave me the hell alone." He was starting to get angry, and my hand twitched towards my knife, my only source of protection these days besides Riddick who was sitting patiently by my side.

"We all think that, maybe, you should take a breather." I said, and when Shane stepped forward I readied myself.

"Why don't you go get yourself some shade, some food. I tell you what, maybe in a little bit, I'll come out and help you myself. Just tell me what it's about. Why don't you just give me the shovel." Shane said.

Jim stabbed the shovel head once again into the ground. "Or what?" he challenged.

"There is no 'or what'. I'm asking you, I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please. I don't want to have to take it from you." Shane said, getting agitated himself.

"If I don't, then what? Then you gonna beat my face in like you did Ed Peletier, aren't ya?" Jim said.

He turned to the rest of us and spoke a little louder. "Ya'll seen his face, huh, what's _left _of it!" He redirected his attention to Shane. "See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you." He once again began digging.

"That was different."Shane said stiffly.

"You weren't there! Ed was out of control, he was hurting his wife!" Amy defended.

"That is their marriage!" Jim yelled. "That is not his! He is _not _judge and jury. Who voted you King Boss?"

"We don't want an argument, Jim. Just, please, take a break." I said, trying to smooth over the tension that had spiked in the conversation.

"She's right. Just give me the shovel." Shane said, reaching for it.

Jim automatically refused, stepping away from Shane and holding the shovel away from him. When Shane pressed on, Jim shoved him squarely in the chest, pushing him backwards. He swung the shovel at Shane, who dodged it, and then was roughly tackled.

"You got no right!" Jim yelled as he struggled on the ground. Shane pinned him on his stomach.

"Jim! Just stop it! Hey, hey, hey Jim! Nobody's going to hurt you." Shane said, trying to comfort the delirious male.

I saw him reaching for his handcuffs and knelt down, grabbing them so he didn't have to take his hands off of Jim. He cuffed him and kept him pinned down.

"That's a lie. It's the biggest lie there is. I told that to my wife and my two boys, I said it a hundred times it didn't matter. They came out of nowhere." Jim said quietly. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, because I knew where the story was going.

"There were dozens of them…just pulled them right out of my hands." He turned his head to look at me, of all the people surrounding him. "You know the only reason I got away was because the dead were too busy eating my family."

….

After the Jim fiasco had passed and been dealt with, it was time for our fish fry. I sat in the group of people by the fire and fed Riddick off my plate. Laughing and conversation prevented any silence but I stayed quiet, sipping from my warm beer that had been scavenged.

I remember the conversation being about Dale's watch. How he always, same time every day, would rewind it. I remember Amy standing up.

"Where are you going?" Andrea asked, stopping her sister.

"I have to pee. Geez, try to be discreet around here." Amy muttered, walking off to the RV.

Everyone had a little giggle at that. I smiled and set my plate on the ground, expecting Riddick to dive at it hungrily. When he didn't, I glanced down and observed her erect ears. I furrowed my eyebrows and nudged him with my knee.

"Riddick?" I whispered, and he growled low and menacingly. My eyes widened.

"Walkers!" I hissed, jumping up and grabbing my gun.

Everyone acted simultaneously, plates clattering to the ground and the sound of guns being drawn. A second later a shrill scream pierced through the night.

Turning towards the RV, I saw Amy fall to the ground, a bloody chunk missing from her arm.

"No!" Andrea screamed, and she took off for her fallen sister.

A walker got to close, and I shot off a round, wincing as it echoed through the woods. I shot another that was coming up behind Shane, and another that came close to taking a chunk off of Andrea as she knelt beside her sister.

"Get to the RV!" I heard Shane shout, and I took off running, knowing that Riddick would follow.

By the time I reached Andrea and Amy and turned so my back was to the large vehicle, the walkers were everywhere. I saw Shane coming towards me with Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia right behind him, so I covered his flank.

Three walkers that were stumbling after them were taken down. I knew I had about five more bullets in my clip and I knew that there were more than we could handle. Shane's shotgun hit the walkers, but not where they needed to be hit to take them out.

"We're going to die." I whispered to Riddick as Andrea's sobbing got louder.

Just as I muttered those words, I heard more gunfire. Glancing around quickly, I saw four figures moving in the darkness that were too fast to be walkers.

"Rick." I breathed, and I shot down another one of the geeks as they came closer.

After they arrived, it was over in a matter of minutes. My hands were shaking as I held my gun, and I couldn't take my eyes off of Amy on the ground. One moment she was breathing, and then she was dead. She just slipped away.

"Oh God." I whimpered.

As I heard Andrea sob out her sister's name, my gut clenched and I felt the fish rise in my throat. But instead of puking up my dinner I slid to the ground a foot away from her, my arm slung limply around Riddick.

"I remember my dream now." Jim said.


	11. Burn or Bury?

No one slept that night. Rick and Shane immediately put some of us on sentry duty. I didn't move from my spot be Amy. It was literally my spot, actually. I was sitting on my blankets, and even as I stared at Amy's unmoving face I could feel the numbness of the situation starting to fade.

Come morning I was sitting next to Andrea. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a mostly clean rag that I had used to clean my gun and knife. I handed it to Andrea, and she took it from me without taking her gaze off of Amy.

I don't know how long we sat there, me rubbing Andrea's back and Andrea cleaning the blood off of  
Amy's face, but Lori came by after a while. She crouched down beside Andrea, and I felt myself stiffen, waiting to see if the words she said would affect the stoic Andrea in anyway.

"Andrea," she started. "I'm _so _sorry. But, she's gone. You got to let us take her."

"She doesn't have to let you do anything." I muttered, my throat dry from lack of water.

Lori gave me an annoyed look, but she was more focused on convincing Andrea.

"We all cared about her, and I promise we'll try to be as gentle as we can." Lori promised.

Silence.

After a second, Lori stood up and walked away.

I could hear the sound of Daryl plunging a pickaxe into the head of walkers, and the group muttering about what to do with Amy.

"Are you gonna let her…change?" I asked Andrea. She gave me the faintest of nods.

"It's still her Alice." Andrea said, "She's not a walker right now. She's my sister."

"I know." I said.

I heard someone walking towards us at the same time I saw Andrea grip her gun.

"Andrea," Rick tried, but was cut off when Andrea shoved the barrel of her gun in his face.

"I know how the safety works." She said quietly.

"I think you should leave her alone officer." I said, hoping he could see the warning in her eyes.

He seemed taken aback, and was instantly retreating. "Alright, okay. I'm sorry."

She waited until he was back at the campfire before putting the gun down and returning her eyes to her sister. I stayed with her as long as I could, but it got to the point where I couldn't swallow my spit due to my dry throat.

"I'll be back." I promised her, but I doubt she heard me.

I walked to where everyone else was waiting, Riddick following me.

"Water?" I asked in a cracked voice, and I caught the one thrown at me.

"What's happening Alice?" Shane asked tensely.

I sighed. "She's waiting. Says that it's still her sister." I said quietly.

"Ya'll can't be serious. You're gonna let that girl hamstring us? The dead girl's a time bomb." Daryl snapped.

"And what do you suggest?" Rick asked.

"Take the shot." Daryl said. "Clean in the brain, from here. Hell, I could hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."

I snorted and walked away.

"Unless you want a similar hole in your head, Daryl, I suggest you think of another plan." I snapped over my shoulder, sitting down next to Andrea again.

Dragging and the squish of a pickaxe was all that filled the morning air. Until Jacqui yelled,

"A walker got him! A walker bit Jim!"

I stood up, and Riddick did too, his pelt bristling as he picked up on the sudden fear and caution.

"Show it to us!" Daryl demanded, pickaxe over his shoulder.

Jim became flustered and picked up a shovel, using it as a weapon.

"Grab him!" I said, coming to stand in the circle that surrounded him.

T-Dog came up from behind and did just that while Daryl darted forward, lifting up Jim's shirt to reveal and angry red bite mark.

"Fuck." I breathed, running a hand through my knotted hair, my eyes never leaving Jim.

He started walking towards us, and I backed up instinctively, running into someone. Riddick planted himself in front of me, not snarling but baring his fangs.

"I'm okay." I muttered over and over again. "I'm okay."

….

When everyone calmed down, we moved Jim by the RV.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head, and the dead girls too. Just be done with it." Daryl grumbled.

"Is that what you'd want, if it were you?" Shane snapped.

"Yeah, and I'd thank you as while you did it." Daryl shot back.

"I hate to say it, and I never thought I would, but maybe Daryl's right." Dale admitted.

"Jim's not a monster Dale. Or some rabid dog." Rick muttered.

"I'm not saying that-," Dale tried.

"He's sick, a sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" Rick asked.

"The lines pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or the to-be." Daryl said.

"It ain't like you can just smash his head in with your pickaxe, or shoot him, Daryl. He's still breathing, still _alive_." I snapped, cracking my knuckles anxiously.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Rick interrupted him.

"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure" he suggested.

"I heard that to, heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane said tiredly.

"What if the CDC is up and running?" Rick queried.

"Man, that would be a stretch right there." Shane sighed.

"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? It's our best shot." Rick explained. "Shelter, protection-,"

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, I do too. Now if they exist, they're at the army base, Fort Benning."

I perked my figurative ears at that.

"My brothers are stationed at Fort Benning!" I said quickly. "I talked to Chris before I had to leave from Tuscaloosa."

"How long ago was that?" Shane asked.

"Maybe, 6 or 7 weeks ago."

"Over _two months_ ago. Anything could've happened in those two months." Rick tried to reason.

I winced at the thought of my brothers as one of those monsters.

"That's more than we've gotten from the CDC!" I snapped.

"The military was on the front line of this, they got overrun we've all seen that!"

"Not if they-," I began.

"The CDC is our only choice and Jim's only chance." Rick said with finality.

I bit my lip and resumed cracking my knuckles.

"Look," Rick said, "If we get there and…and things aren't the way we hope, then we turn around and we head to Fort Benning." He addressed the entire group, not just me.

"If that's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." I growled.

"You go lookin' for aspirin, do what you need to do. Somebody had to have the balls to take care of this damn problem!" Daryl snarled, taking off towards Jim with his pickaxe raised.

Rick was beside him before anyone could react, his gun raised and leveled at Daryl's head.

"We do not kill the living." Rick stressed.

"Funny, coming from the guy who just put a gun to my head." Daryl sneered.

As Daryl shoved the pickaxe into the ground, I moved to let him by. I knew that wasn't the right way to deal with the situation, but I couldn't help but think it was. Jim was going to turn, like it or not, and so was Amy. Then we'd have two walkers in camp.

Taking a deep breath, I turned back to Andrea, but Dale was with her. They were talking and I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I decided to leave them be. I grabbed one of the many bodies still strewn around camp and started dragging.

"Burn or bury?" I asked Glenn.

He grabbed the dead guys other side and drug him with me. "Burn."

The burn pile was almost as big as the bury pile, and I felt my stomach churn at the smell of burning, rotted flesh.

"It's a good thing you guys came back with the guns when you did." I said to him, pulling the neck of my shirt over my nose.

Riddick padded over to us in confusion, probably wondering why we were touching a walker, but I shoed him away as we dragged, letting him take his place by the RV again.

"You're one of the few." He muttered.

Flinging the body onto the pile, we both turned to grab another, this time to bury. Some of the half eaten faces looked familiar to me while others were completely foreign.

"I feel kinda bad." I admitted to Glenn, "I don't know half of these people's faces, let along their names."

"You were only in camp a few days." Glenn reasoned.

"Yeah, but-," I stopped talking when I heard the gurgling and growling.

Both me and Glenn dropped the body of the man we were carrying and turned to face the noise. Andrea was leaning over a reanimated Amy, murmuring to her and stroking her hair.

"What is she doing?" Glenn asked in disbelief.

I started moving forward when Amy sat up, but stopped myself when I saw the gleam of metal in Andrea's hand.

The gunshot rang out through the air and as Amy fell to the ground, once again dead, I looked away. Picking up the man again, I began dragging. After a moment's hesitation, Glenn joined me.

We worked in silence from then on. Dragging and tossing, dragging and tossing, water break, dragging and tossing.

It wasn't long before the men started loading up the sheet wrapped bodies into Daryl's blue pickup, and as he drove the truck up to the burial grounds, the rest of the survivors followed on foot. Rick and Shane were digging the last hole as Daryl exited the vehicle.

"It's a mistake," he told them, "not burning these bodies."

I walked behind Lori and Carl, using my shirt to wipe the sweat of my forward, letting out a small sigh as the cool air hit my flat tan stomach. Riddick panted next to me, drool dripping down from his tongue. He gave a shake, and a cloud of black fur came off of him, making me groan. He was shedding, which would lead to a big mess later.

"The people here need to know who's in charge. What the rules are." Daryl continued.

"There are no rules." Rick responded, stabbing his shovel in the ground.

"That's a problem. We need time to mourn and we need time to bury our dead." Lori said shakily.

I nodded and shot a look at her. "She's right. We need to hold onto what little bit of normalcy we can get."

"Case ya haven't noticed, the worlds ended." Daryl snapped, "There is nothin normal. Not anymore."

"That's enough." Shane snapped, glaring at Daryl. "Let's do what we came here to do."

The next half hour was spent dragging body after body into the readymade holes, until only one was left in the bed of the pickup. My throat constricted as Andrea grabbed onto the body of his sister, and after some struggling, she managed to get her to the hole.

Dale stepped forward to help, but Andrea immediately protested, stepping into the hole to lower Amy down. Once she was done, Dale reached down and helped her out of the grave. After a moments hesitation, I stepped forward and grabbed one of the shovels.

Rick followed, then Morales and Shane. We started covering the holes silently, and nobody left the burial site. It was faster filling the holes in than digging them up, so when we were done we had a moment of silence. I sniffed a little bit, and coughed in my throat so I wouldn't cry.

One by one, in single file, we left.

….

_**Tada! Uhh, yeah…ummm…I got nothin! Review please!**_


	12. The Alphabet Game

I heard Carl come up behind me, and I turned to see him wiping his eyes.

"Yo, Carl." I said, pushing him in front of me so he wasn't lagging in the rear. "I don't tolerate bawlers in this camp."

He gave a weak glare in my direction. "You cried." He muttered.

I slung my arm around him. "I _almost _cried."

Carl snorted, but his expression softened. Let's face it, I hated crying kids. We arrived back at camp and I took my usual spot by the RV, and Carl continued to follow me. Riddick slumped against me in the growing shade, and Carl sat next to me.

"So…" I said as I absentmindedly picked at my finger nails. I stopped. "You wanna play a game?"

Carl nodded his head.

"It's called the Alphabet Game. Not the most fun, but it passes the time." I said.

"How do you play?" he asked.

"Well, we pick a category, and you say something from that category that starts with an A, then I say one that starts with a B, then you with a C. It keeps going to Z." I explained.

"What happens when you run out of letters?" he asked. I shrugged.

"You choose another category."

We decided on Cartoon Characters for our first category.

"Alice in Wonderland." Carl shot off with a sly grin.

"Clever boy." I snorted. "Batman."

"Charlie Brown."

"Daffy Duck."

Carl hesitated a moment, stumped.

"Eduardo!" Carl declared.

"Who?" I asked.

"From Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. You may be too old to watch that show."

I gaped at him in disbelief and made an offended noise.

"Old, who are you calling _old_, buddy? I'm only 10 years older than y-," I stopped abruptly.

At that moment, Lori and Rick walked up. Rick gave me a friendly nod and ruffled Carl's hair as he walked by. Lori gave me a disdainful look, and crouched beside Carl.

"What're you doing, sweetie?" she asked.

"Playing with Alice." He said. "She taught me the Alphabet game."

"Why don't you go play with Sophia. Alice might be a bit busy." Lori suggested, and I bristled.

"Let the boy play, Lori." Rick said, stepping into the RV.

I couldn't help feeling a moments satisfaction when Rick stood up against his wife.

…_30 minutes later…_

"Oranges." Carl said.

"Papaya." I countered.

"That's not a fruit!" Carl accused.

"Yes, it is!" I reasoned.

Shane was walking towards Lori who was sitting on the steps of the RV.

"Hey, Shane! Isn't a papaya a fruit?" I asked him, glancing to where Riddick was walking towards the tree line to do his business.

He glanced at us before nodding.

"Ha!" I crowed.

"Carl!" Sophia said, walking up to us. She smiled at me shyly, and I smiled back. "Sorry, Alice. I wanted to see if Carl wanted to help Dale put together a few more tin can lines."

"Sure!" Carl said, darting off.

"You only said yes because you can't think of a fruit that starts with Q." I called after him.

I continued to lean against the RV, Riddick walking back towards me. I only half paid attention to the conversation that Shane and Lori were having. Shane was trying to get Lori to talk Rick out of going to the CDC.

Just as Shane finished, Rick came out. "Let's go do our sweep." Shane suggested.

Rick nodded and gestured at me. I looked at him in surprise.

"Alice, come with us." He said.

Still, I hesitated. "Really?"

He nodded impatiently

I scrambled to my feet and quickly checked the clip in my gun, only to see that it was almost empty. I gave an annoyed sigh and slid the clip back in.

"Let's go!" I heard Shane's impatient call and I whistled to Riddick, calling him to me. We headed off into the woods.

I caught up to them in no time, and we walked in silence for a bit. Riddick and I were walking a ways ahead of Rick and Shane, so I couldn't hear exactly what they were arguing about until the end.

"I just don't see the CDC as the way to go, man." Shane said.

"Well, if it was your family, you'd feel differently." Rick said back.

I kept walking until I realized it was only my and Riddick's footsteps I heard. Turning around, I saw Shane staring at Rick in disbelief and anger. It was quiet, and I could feel the tension in the air as if it was a real thing.

For a second, I stood there uncomfortably; waiting for the explosion of Mt. Walsh, but instead the tension grew tighter. I made my escape.

"Oh, look at that… rock." I said, pointing in a random direction. "I'm gonna go check it out." I said, walking off to the right of us, Riddick following me.

Shane gave the faintest of nods, but it was obvious he didn't care about what I did. The look in his eyes made me worry for Rick, but I convinced myself that Shane wouldn't hurt his best friend. Right?

I continued to walk, the knife in my hand and Riddick walking beside me. I heard the bushes in front of my rustle, and I drew my knife upwards in a defensive stance. It was unnecessary, of course, because out popped Dale, his hands full of tin cans attached to a line of string.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, jerking backwards in surprise.

I quickly lowered my knife, and let out a breath.

"Jesus, Dale. I thought you were a walker." I sighed, sheathing my knife.

Without knowing it, I must have wandered closer to camp.

"Where's Rick and Shane?" Dale asked worriedly, looking behind me.

"They got into a…civil disagreement." I explained.

He looked even more worried.

"About a quarter-mile that way." I pointed behind me.

"Thanks." Dale said, hurrying off in that direction.

"Dale!" I stopped him. "I thought that the northeast cans needed replacing, not northwest."

"I just want to make sure they're okay." Dale said over his shoulder.

"Whatever." I muttered, continuing in the direction of the camp.

*_**To Dale* (One time thing.)**_

Dale picked his way through the underbrush in the way that Alice had pointed him. The cans in his hands knocked against one another, occasionally letting out a clang. Pushing through the last bit of undergrowth, he spotted the pair.

Rick was farther into the trees, his gun raised and pointing around, looking for something. Shane was stationary, his shotgun raised and pointing in the direction his friend was, cover in case something happened. At least, that's what Dale thought until Shane leveled the gun at Rick's form.

Dale's mouth fell agape as Shane held him in his sights, his face distorting into a mask of pure excitement. Abruptly, Shane lowered the gun, his expression emotionless. 15 seconds, Shane had the gun on Rick. Shane turned Dale's way and stopped, his eyes wide.

"Jesus." Dale muttered, looking at Shane with shock and apprehension.

Shane managed a small shaky laugh. "I know. We need to wear reflective vests out here."

Looking back towards Rick, he placed the baseball cap he carried with him on his head.

"Come on, Rick! Ain't nothin out here!"

Rick raised a hand in recognition and began to pick his way back through the underbrush.

"Come on, man." Shane said to Dale. "Let's get outta here."

_***Alice's POV* (Normal)**_

Arriving back at camp, I sank back onto blankets, the same place I had been exactly fifteen minutes ago.

"Where's Rick? And Shane?" Lori asked me as soon as my ass hit the dirt.

"Still searching the bush." I said as I untied the laces in my boots, pulling them off.

She stood there, obviously waiting for more information. I looked up at her in mild agitation.

"Can I help you?" I growled, massaging my sore feet.

"Why aren't they back?" Lori asked.

"I don't know, that got into an argument. Jesus, woman. You aint their mother! Back off!" I snapped, stretching out, my head lying on Riddicks warm stomach.

She walked off and I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

It seemed like no time at all before I felt the hard edge of someone's boot in my ribs. Cracking my eyes, I groaned at the figure above me.

"The hell you want, Dixon?" I grunted, struggling to sit up.

He nudged me again.

"Thought you were dead, girly, if it hadn't been for that loud ass snoring." He snorted.

I glared at him. "I don't snore." I deadpanned. "I haven't snored in the 22 years I've been alive."

"Whatever. Git up. The cops are back." He said, walking away, his crossbow slung over his shoulder.

He'd been acting different ever since the attack last night. I didn't know whether to be grateful or not.

Looking around, I noticed that there was a group surrounding the campfire already, and I was one of the last people missing. Stumbling to my feet, I walked barefoot across the dirty ground, wincing when I would step on a particularly sharp rock or stick. Riddick walked beside me.

Standing next to Daryl, I crossed my arms, then my fingers, my legs, my toes, and I even closed my eyes so I could cross them. _Fort Benning, Fort Benning, Fort Benning._ I prayed.

"I, uh. I've been thinking about Ricks plan." Shane started.

My hopes immediately crashed to the ground in a ball of flame and disintegrated dreams. I uncrossed my limbs and cracked my knuckles in distress.

"There are no guarantees, I'll be the first on to admit that. But I've known him a long time, and I trust him. The most important thing is that we _stay together_." He looked directly at me as he said this, and I knew he thought that I was going to make a run for Fort Benning.

I shook my head in anger and rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hands.

"For those of you who agree, we leave first thing in the morning." He finished. "Let's get packing."

Everyone dispersed, heading off to collect their things. I stood where I was, and Daryl remained too. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it quickly, brushing past me to his tent.

I continued to stand there, though. And Shane walked up to me.

"Alice." He said, trying to catch my eye. "You wouldn't make it far on your own. Trust me on this." He said quietly.

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"I'm not stupid, Shane. I know that. I'm going with you guys." I reassured him.

He nodded, and a relieved look came over his face. I glanced at him warily.

"I'm not like Lori, Shane." I said quietly. "Or Carol, or Andrea. I can take care of myself."

"I know." Was all he said before he turned and walked away.

I was so damn confused when it came to the people here.

Ignoring the heaviness in my stomach, I walked over to my set up and began shoving things into my bag.

Riddick whined by my side, clearly confused as to what was happening.

"We're leaving, boy." I whispered to him, rolling up my blanket and shoving it into my backpack next to my clothes, borrowed books and other various items.

With everyone bustling around camp trying to pack up the many things that they had brought with them, I decided to go into the RV. Andrea was sitting at the table, Dale was trying to get the RV to start up and Carol was sitting in the back with Jim.

I sat down across from Andrea at the table while Riddick squeezed under the table and managed to sit between my legs.

I hadn't talked to Andrea since she blew Amy's brains out, and since I had my stuff done, there wasn't much left to do.

"Hey, Andrea." I said quietly, my fingers tapping the table with nerves.

She glanced at my hand and looked me in the eyes. "I don't need your pity, Alice." She said plainly.

I bristled slightly at that, but kept the smile on my face.

"That's good." I said, feigning relief. "I'm not good at giving people pity."

She didn't respond, just continued to stare at me.

We sat there for a long time in silence, her looking at me and me looking out the RV window at the scurrying people.

….

_**Yes, I know. I really am not sure why I wrote this chapter, because it seems very strained and very unrealistic. I was about to delete it actually, but I decided not to. So, anyways, sorry for the below average chapter!  
Pandas and Choclates, Jinx.**_


	13. Centre of Disease Control

The entire time me and Andrea sat there, we didn't say a word, just stayed there in companionable silence. As the sun started to set on our final day in camp, I felt my nerves starting to jump. The dark scared me now more than ever.

I knew that we were in just as much danger during the day, but the darkness brought out your worst thoughts and fears. The what-ifs seem to become reality, and everything becomes more dangerous.

I turned my attention to Andrea, but to my surprise she had her face buried in her arms, the slight rise and fall of her body indicating she was asleep.

"Huh." I said in disbelief. "Can you believe that-," I bent down to look at Riddick under the table, but to my surprise, his muzzle was shoved under his paws. He was sleeping too.

I groaned, and looked back out the window, dreading having to go back outside to sleep. I was wishing that I had accepted Shane's extra tent.

"Alice." I turned around in my seat and saw Dale standing behind me.

"You can sleep in here if you want. Andrea watches out for Jim in the back, but I'm sure that you can find somewhere to doze at." He offered.

I couldn't help smile at him. He was just so…generously nice. So I nodded.

"Thanks, Dale." I whispered, not wanting to wake Andrea just yet.

He nodded at me, smiled, and went back to the front of the RV with Glenn. Glenn had a map spread out on the dashboard and held a tiny flashlight in his mouth, a pen in his hand and a ruler in the other.

With the sun now down, Dale roused Andrea and helped her into the back of the RV, leaving me at the table. Giving a long drawn out sigh of exhaustion, I slid down the seat so that I was lying down on the cushiony bench. My legs hung off the end, so my feet touched the floor, but when I turned on my side and curled my legs towards me I fit perfectly.

It was difficult getting to sleep, and as I tried I couldn't help think of the walkers. I could still smell the decaying scent, but in spite of it, I eventually drifted off.

Go figure, the only reason I woke up the next morning was because of the sound of revving engines. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to stop my blurry vision. Andrea was leaning over me, but that wasn't what surprised me. Her features seemed softer, and her eyes weren't haunted.

"We thought you could use the extra sleep." She told me. "But you have to get up. We'll be leaving soon."

I nodded and groped around for a water bottle that was on the counter last night. Taking a swig, I sat up and saw Riddick prancing around outside the RV, keeping guard over my belongings that were still outside.

"You're riding in here, right Alice?" Glenn asked.

I blinked. I'd never considered where I would be riding.

"Um, I guess. If there's room, that is." I amended.

Glenn nodded and walked outside briefly, then came back in toting my things. Grabbing them from him, I tossed the bag under the table, I officially claimed the table my territory. Riddick bounced back in the RV and gave a bark when he saw me awake.

"Shh!" I snapped at him, flicking his muzzle lightly. "_Ruhig sein._"

Immediately he clamped his mouth shut, but his tail wagged as he propped up his front paws on my thighs and licked my face. I wrinkled my nose in distaste at the dog saliva, but I didn't push him away.

Suddenly, I heard Shane's voice outside the RV, calling a meeting of some sort. Glenn and I shared a look, and Andrea lightly touched my arm.

"You think something bad happened?" I asked no one in particular.

"Only one way to find out." Glenn muttered, heading outside.

With a sigh, I pulled my hair back into a messy bun and rubbed at my eyes before following him, Andrea tagging along with me.

"Everybody listen!" Shane called as we exited the Winnebago.

"Those who have CB's, we're gonna be on channel 40. You got a problem and don't have a CB, hit your horn _one _time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"

There was a moment of silence that was only filled by the chirping of crickets. Everyone nodded their heads in understanding, and prepared to head to their vehicles.

"Uh," Morales said, stepping forward, "we're not going."

Everyone stared at him with unfazed expression except for Rick.

"We have family in Birmingham. We wanna be with our people." His wife explained.

"If you're on your own, you got nobody to watch your back." Shane warned.

"Gotta do what's best for my family." Morales stated.

Rick nodded and started digging through the gun bag, pulling out a pistol and a box of ammo.

After he gave it to them, then came the emotional stuff. Hugging, tears, and painful goodbyes galore.

Everyone dispersed to their vehicles, and once I was in the Winnebago I sat on the floor and hugged Riddick to my chest. Glenn and Dale took their places in the driver and passenger seat, Glenn having the map from last night in his hands.

The RV started to life, and I startled, but once we started moving the motion became soothing. Andrea sat down at the table and just stared off into space, her mind somewhere else at the moment. As I looked out the back window, past Jim and Jacqui, I could see the rest of the cars following us. I saw the Morales pull away from the group, and I sent a quick prayer for them.

….

"Damn it." Dale cursed, and I looked up at him in surprise. Dale never cursed.

"What happened?" Andrea asked uninterestedly.

"Um," Glenn said, unsure to exactly what the problem was, just staring at the smoke coming from the front of the RV.

"The hose." Dale said in exasperation.

"Right."

Dale stopped the Recreational Vehicle and turned it off before stepping out of it. I followed, and of course, Riddick tagged along.

Rick joined us seconds later as Dale explained our problem.

"Told you we wouldn't get far on that hose." Dale sighed.

"Can't you jerry rig it?" Rick asked.

"That's all it is now. More duct tape than hose." Dale explained. "And I'm out of duct tape!"

Shane said he saw something up ahead, and him, T-Dog and Daryl went to go check it out.

All of a sudden, Jacqui came running out of the RV.

"It's Jim!" she gasped. "I don't think he can take much more." She ran back in.

Rick shared a look with the group before taking a deep breath and heading inside.

I glanced around the road for something, anything that could be useful. Nothing turned up.

So, I sat on the concrete and gave a loud sigh, watching Riddick pad off to use the bathroom.

Everyone was milling around, seeming to enjoy the break from riding. Riddick's nose pressed against my neck when he came back, and his ears pricked as Shane, Daryl and T-Dog came back with some scavenged goods. Rick exited the RV.

Everyone stopped moving as he drew a hand over his face, and explained the situation.

"He's delirious, right?" I asked. "I mean, we're not going to _actually _abandon him here, on the side of the road as walker bait, are we?"

"When I said Daryl was right, back at camp, you misunderstood me. I would never callously kill a man. I was suggesting that we let Jim decide what he wants. And I think we have an answer." Dale spoke up.

"So, we just leave him here and take off?" I said, disbelief coloring my words.

Shane was already shaking his head. "I don't think that I could live with that."

"It's not your call. Either one of you." Lori said quietly.

Sighing, Rick nodded and shared a look with Shane. Simultaneously, they both headed into the RV. A minute later they reappeared, supporting a rather horrid looking Jim. Everyone parted to let them through, and they carried the sick man into the shaded woods.

Setting him down beneath one of the trees, I saw Jim say something to Shane and Rick, a smile on his face. I started walking that way, following the rest of the group.

"You know it doesn't have to be this, Jim." Shane tried.

Jim shook his head. "It's good. The breeze feels nice."

Shane nodded and stepped back to let everyone say their goodbyes.

Rick stepped forward in offered Jim his gun, but Jim refused.

I didn't say anything at first, just stepped forward and nestled a half empty water bottle against his side.

"Sorry about all this, Jim." I whispered. He nodded and gave a small smile.

Stepping away, I made my way quickly down the slope and back into the vehicle, sitting down at the table. I didn't have to wait long before everyone was back in their cars and starting their engines. Jacqui was sitting by herself in the back room, and everyone was unusually quiet.

I moved to the window and pressed my face against it, keeping my eyes locked on Jim's lone figure. I felt so guilty leaving him there, all alone and defenseless. Once he was out of sight, I pulled away and returned to my seat at the table, reaching underneath to grab _Black Beauty. _

My hand brushed against a furry body, and I ruffled his ears before sitting up straight.

….

We pulled over in the front of the CDC after 10 hours of driving. 10 long, cramped, miserable hours of being stuck in a damn RV, only stopping to take bathroom breaks (in the woods) or to siphon gas from any abandoned cars.

I jumped up as soon as the vehicle came to a stop, but when I looked out the front window, my heart dropped. There were bodies _everywhere_. On the sidewalks, roads, grass, even up on the blockades. Thankfully, none of them were moving.

Glenn hesitated before moving to the door and throwing it open, letting the rest of us leak out hesitantly. Everyone shared anxious looks, and I saw Carol and Lori pull their kids closer to them.

As a group, we all moved forward together.

"Keep moving. Stay together." Rick or Shane would whisper every now and then.

The buzzing of flies filled my ears, the smell of rotting flesh invaded my nostrils, and the sight of dead gray bodies burned into my eyes. Everyone was coughing, and I gagged a few times when a fly would run into my face.

What unnerved me the most was stepping over the multitude bodies. Any second, I expected one to lash out and grab my leg to take a chunk out of it. I gripped my gun tightly in my hand, but I kept my finger off the trigger. I didn't want to accidently fire off a shot this close to the city without it being absolutely necessary.

Riddick snarled and snapped at the flies swarming him. My foot nudged one of the bodies, and I abruptly stopped in fear. It took me a second to realize it wasn't going to move, and I let out a loud sigh.

"What're you stoppin for?" Daryl hissed, his crossbow held in the air as his head swiveled around, looking for danger.

"Nothin." I muttered, picking up the pace to make up for the few seconds I had hesitated.

We reached the doors, and Rick went to try to open it. The thing didn't budge.

"It won't open." I gasped, my knuckles turned white as I gripped the gun impossibly tighter.

Shane tried to lift the door manually, but it didn't budge even an inch.

"Nobody's here." T-Dog said, sounding defeated.

"Then why are the doors down?" Rick questioned.

"Walkers!" Daryl said loudly from behind me

I turned around and saw it. A used to be military man, and as I gazed upon him, I froze. His face was bloody and covered with gore, but his facial structure was still distinguishable. I didn't recognize him. The bolt from Daryl's crossbow pierced the skull of it just as I figured out it was _not _one of my brothers.

"Let's move!" someone said.

"He made a call!" Dale said to Daryl who was starting to act up.

"It was the wrong damn call!"

"Shut up!" Shane snarled, stepping up for Rick.

"This is a dead end, Rick. Do you hear me?" Shane tried.

"We can't be this close to the city!" Lori snapped. "Not after dark!"

"Fort Benning, Rick! It's still an option!" Shane said, cocking his shotgun.

"He's right! We need to get out of here, Rick! You said yourself, if things weren't as they should be, we'd leave!" I said desperately as more walkers began to show. "Well, things aint how they should be!"

"We have no food, water or gas!" Lori said, freaking out. "We need an answer now!"

"We'll think of something!" Rick said, his voice becoming strained.

"Let's go!" Shane said suddenly, taking the control from Rick.

As everyone took off, I started to follow, Riddick nipping at my heels when I wasn't going fast enough.

"The camera moved!" Rick said suddenly.

I turned on him and grabbed his arm, pulling.

"You're imagining things!" I reasoned, yanking roughly.

"It moved." He insisted.

"Shane!" I called out as Rick began pulling against me.

He was there in an instant, trying to explain to Rick that it was automated.

Rick snapped and banged repeatedly on the door. "I know you're in there!" He demanded into the camera. "I know you can hear me!"

He shook me off. "Please! We're desperate! Help us! We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left!"

Lori came forward and started pleading with him to leave. Finally, I shoved my gun into my pants and wrapped both arms around Rick's waist, pulling him with the fleeing group. Shane came from the front and pushed him.

I could see the walkers now, how they seemed to be almost surrounding us.

"You're killing us!" Rick continued to scream at the camera. Just as he turned away from the door in defeat, a loud screech of metal interrupted him. I turned around just in time to see a bright light, and for a second, I thought I was dead.

Everyone was still, either in amazement or disbelief. Then, someone was roughly shoving me towards it, and the sounds of relieved shouting covered the sounds of groaning and buzzing.

…_**.**_

_**2,473 views! Thank you everybody! I'd like to clear up something, though.**_

_**Do not expect Alice to find her brothers for a while. I'd like her to develop a little more before I just throw them in, because what would be the fun in that?**_


	14. Celebration

We walked through the glass doors and into the spacious reception room. My gun had found a home back in my hands, and I raised it as Rick began to speak.

"Daryl, cover our backs." Rick said. "Hello? Hello?"

"Close the doors." Dale said, and the slam of them echoed through the mostly empty space.

"Keep an eye out for walkers." I warned. "Just cause we're in doesn't mean we're safe."

Everyone just meandered in a circle, observing the massive building. I kept my eyes trained on Riddick, watching for bristling or growling.

Suddenly, there was a loud cocking of a gun, and everyone raised their weapons, training it in the direction of the sudden disturbance. Riddick didn't seem as concerned about it as he should have been, and I realized after a second of thinking, that the building smelt so…sterile, for lack of a better word. He probably couldn't smell anything.

A man, probably in his late forties, stood by a staircase. He wore sweats and held in his hands a rather mean looking weapon. I am no gun expert, but I knew that it was an automatic, which made me more nervous. With one press of a finger, he could mow us down.

"Anybody infected?" he asked loudly.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick said shakily.

"Why are you here and what do you want?" Mystery Man asked quickly.

"A chance." Rick answered confidently.

"That's asking a lot these days." Mystery Man said. He lowered his weapon slowly.

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of submission." He continued.

"We can do that." Rick said, nodding.

My heart began to flutter. Blood test meant needles. Now, I am perfectly fine shoving a needle into a cat or dog, but the second one comes near me, I have a panic attack.

In fact, needles were Number 3 on my Top 5 Fears.

"You got anything to bring in, you do it now. Once these doors close, they stay close." Mystery Man ordered.

Quick as a flash, I took off towards the door, Riddick on my tail. I heard the rest of the group follow, and I made sure to stick close to Daryl as we ran. With his crossbow, I didn't worry about him shooting and alerting any more Walkers.

I ran into the RV and snagged my backpack, slung it over one of my shoulders, then grabbed one of Glenn's, slinging that one over my other shoulder. I snagged the gun bag from the closet/cabinet, and abandoned the vehicle, letting Glenn grab the rest before we fled back to the building.

I heard Dale and T-Dog shut the doors behind us as we barely made it, and the Man punched numbers into a keypad and mumbled something into the speaker.

Breathing heavy, I closed my eyes.

"Rick Grimes." I heard Rick introduce himself.

I opened my eyes and stared at the Man.

"Doctor Edwin Jenner." He offered awkwardly.

….

We were all herded onto an elevator, and I shifted uncomfortably as I felt the heat of numerous people and the B.O that came with days without proper showers. An unnerving silence followed.

"Doctor's always go around packin heat like that?" Daryl questioned.

"There were plenty left lying around, I familiarized myself." Jenner said, his gaze sweeping across us. "But you look harmless enough."

He turned his gaze on Carl, and I narrowed my eyes a bit.

"Except for you. I'm going to have to keep my eye on you." He said.

I relaxed and rested my eyes, feeling the adrenaline from just moments before drain away. Soon enough, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. We followed Jenner down a long hallway.

"Are we underground?" Carol asked.

"Claustrophobic?" Jenner asked.

"A little." Carol admitted.

"Don't think about it." Jenner suggested.

We kept walking and eventually the hallway opened up into a large room filled with computers and desks.

"Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." Suddenly, the room was lit.

Rick immediately began questioning. Asking where everyone was. It turned out that Vi was a computer program. He was it. The only one left.

After that, we were led to yet another room, where he sat us down and started to draw blood. I waited until the very end.

"You." He said pointing at me and motioning me forward.

I suppressed a groan, and trudged forward, Riddick glued to my leg. Sitting down in the seat across from him, I kept my arms pressed firmly against my body.

"Name." he asked.

"Alice Mason." I responded through gritted teeth.

He scribbled it down on a baggy with a label on it, and held out his hand.

"Arm."

I hesitated and bit my lip. A few more seconds I didn't respond before I hesitantly slid my arm across the table, palm up. My fingers were shaking, and Riddick growled beside me, no doubt he sensed my unease.

"Not a fan of needles?" Jenner asked.

I managed to shake my head no, my eyes glued to the needle sitting on the table as he tied off my arm with rubber cord. As he sunk the needle into my arm, I shut my eyes and my free hand tangled into Riddick's mane.

It only took a few seconds, but they felt like a lifetime. As soon as the needle was out, I undid the tubing and pressed my hand onto the needle hole to stop the bleeding. I stood up quickly and would have fallen if Andrea hadn't been there, her arms supporting me until I could sink into a plastic chair.

My stomach let out a growl that would have put Riddick to shame, and I blushed.

"I'm so hungry." I muttered as she sat down next to me.

"We all are." She whispered.

I met Jenner's gaze and he stared back unwaveringly.

"How long has it been?" he asked.

Everyone stared at him in confusion.

"How long since…what?" Rick asked.

"Since you ate." Jenner clarified.

The group shared a look.

"Days." Jacqui answered.

….

I poured a little bit more of the Southern Comfort into my shot glass. Laughing resonated throughout the dining room, and I cracked a smile at a rather large belch that escaped Daryl.

"In Italy, children drink wine with their dinner." Dale said, trying to convince Lori into letting Carl try some wine. "And in France."

"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then." Lori said, smiling.

"Come on!" I said, leaning forward. "Let the kid try some!"

Maybe it was the whiskey for me and the wine for Lori, or maybe it was because we were both way too happy to argue. She sighed and removed her hand from the cup Dale had poured the wine into.

Carl lifted the cup and pressed it to his lips. He took a tiny sip, and a look of disgust crossed his features.

"Ew!" he complained, setting it down.

Lori rubbed his back and smiled, pouring the wine into her own cup.

I laughed and pushed myself up onto the bar I was leaning against.

"Stick to soda pop there, bud." Shane suggested, smiling behind his hands.

"Not you Glenn." Daryl spoke up, taking the bottle of SoCo I had in my hands and pouring it into his glass.

"What?" Glenn asked.

"Keep drinking little man, I wanna see how red your face can get."

I laughed louder at that and snatched the bottle back from Daryl when I realized my glass was empty.

The room went quiet when Rick tapped his knife against his wine glass. Setting down my glass, I just took a swig from the bottle, wincing at the violent burn that went down my throat. Faintly, I remembered my 21st birthday. Just last year, and I could hardly remember the bar we went to.

My brothers had taken me out to celebrate that I was officially able to drink legally. So, the nice bartender mixed my drink up with Bryan's and Jacob's whiskey. I spent an entire 10 minutes choking. But after that, I got a whole lot more from random guys buying me drinks. It seemed like such a waste to let them get thrown out…

Shaking my head to rid myself of the nostalgic memories, I returned my attention back to Rick.

"It seems to me," he said, "that we haven't properly thanked our host."

"He is more than just our host." T-Dog said.

"Here, here!" Dale said, followed by a chorus of others.

"Booyah!" Daryl shouted.

"Booyah!" I repeated shoving the bottle in the air.

A chorus of booyah's filled the air, and Riddick let out a long howl, which caused everyone to laugh.

"So when you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, Doc?" Shane asked.

I felt the smile slip off my face, and I hesitated at bringing the bottle back to my lips. I wanted to be sober enough to understand what was happening. So, to resist temptation, I gave the bottle to Daryl who accepted it with a grunt.

"Where are all the other doctors?" Shane asked.

"We're celebrating, Shane. Not now." Rick warned.

"This is why we're here." Shane objected. "To find out what happened. Instead, we find him." He pointed at Jenner. "Why?"

"When things got bad, a lot of people just left to be with their family. And when things got worse, the military overrun," I winced at that part, "the rest bolted."

"All but you?" Shane asked.

"No. Many couldn't face the idea of walking out the door. They opted out. A rash of suicides."

"Why didn't you leave?" Andrea demanded.

"Kept working, hoping to do some good." He responded.

I nodded to myself, and coughed to rid the whiskey burn in my throat.

"You are such a buzz kill." Glenn grumbled to Shane.

True to Glenn's words, I felt myself lose the bubbly feeling I had just moments ago.

"Asswipe." I muttered at Shane.

….

"Most of the facilities powered down. Including Housing, so you'll make due here. The couches are comfortable. But there are cots in storage." Jenner lead us down, yes you guessed it, another hall.

This one was lined with doors and I felt dizzy, my drunkenness beginning to show.

"If you shower, go easy on the hot water." He said, turning around and walking away.

Everyone stood still in surprise.

"Hot water?" Glenn asked, a smile broke across his face.

People began to take rooms, and I followed.

I began to push. "Move damn it! I need that shower!"

I heard laughter, and I walked into one of the rooms, threw my things down, ushered Riddick in, slammed the door and started to strip down on my way to the bathroom. When I was nude, I walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on full blast, letting the searing water raise welts on my skin.

I just stood under the water and laughed as loud as I could. There was no door on the shower, and I was surprised when Riddick took a tentative step in.

"I knew you couldn't stand being dirty forever." I teased him.

"_Shut up._"

It took me a while to figure out the dispensers on the wall, because I didn't know what was shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Finally, I worked it out and washed my hair and body, then Riddick. When I got out, I felt so clean, and upon looking in the mirror, I felt amazed.

"I'm skinny." I said in disbelief. Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't fat before this happened, but I had a helping of puppy fat that I just couldn't get rid of.

But now, my tan limbs seemed to be in proportion with the rest of me. My black hair seemed glossy with the water soaked in it, and my blue eyes…were the same as always.

I put on a pair of underwear and a large shirt that I found in one of the drawers. Lying down on the couch, I grabbed a blanket that had been lying on the back of it and rolled myself up in it. As Riddick lay next to me, for the first time in weeks, I fell asleep without fearing being ripped to shreds.


	15. Kaboom

_Bam, Bam, Bam!_

My eyes shot open and I suppressed a groan of agony. Every noise seemed to be amplified, and the banging on the door made me want to rip out my ears.

"Rise and shine, Alice!" Dale shouted through the door.

I groaned loudly and rolled off the couch onto the floor. The blanket was like a warm cocoon and I did not want to leave it. Riddick was already by the door, his tail wagging back and forth.

I shut my eyes again and took deep breaths, suppressing the nausea that filled my being. Strange enough, I was craving coffee. It was because of that craving that I pushed myself on to two legs and gathered my spare clothing from my backpack.

I wasn't going to unpack, I decided, because if we did need to run again, I was not going to be slowed down by such a trivial thing. I pulled on the clean shorts and the Disturbed t-shirt. I threw the dirty clothes back into the pack with my boots.

Another loud bang came from my door. Something was knocking. I was going to kill that something.

Stalking up to the door, I pushed Riddick out of the way and yanked it open.

"Why can't you understand the meaning of a hangover!" I hissed in Daryl's face.

He just smirked and gave a piercing whistle. I clapped my hands over my ears and shoved past him, stumbling down the hallway. I heard him say something, but it was muffled by my hands. Turning back, I lifted them ever so slightly.

"What?" I snapped.

"Wrong way." He clarified.

I walked the way he pointed and Riddick followed me. When I walked into the dining room, I heard Glenn's very audible moaning. I sat down next to him, and buried my head in my arms.

"Somebody had a rough night." Carol commented from the other side of the table.

Lifting my head, I nodded to T-Dog who dumped a spoonful of eggs on my plate. I pointed my fork at her.

"You have no idea." I said. "It feels like someone is beating a drum inside my head while tap dancing on top of my brain with cleats and using the back of my eyes as a punching bag."

"Can't hold yer liquor?" Daryl asked, standing behind Rick.

"It's not like I'm a routine drinker." I defended, accepting the bottle of aspirin that got passed my way.

"You gonna drink your coffee?" I asked Glenn.

He shook his head and I snatched quickly, swallowing the pills with a swig of the caffeinated beverage.

"Don't ever, ever, _ever _let me drink again." Glenn groaned.

I patted him on the back. "Don't worry, buddy," I reassured. "I think I'm right with you on that."

Shane walked into the room, the collar of his shirt pulled up slightly.

"Hey." Rick greeted. "You feel as bad is me?"

"Worse." Shane mumbled.

I stood up to refill my cup, and walked over to Shane.

"Damn!" I said, looking at the three angry claw marks on his neck. "The hell did you do? Get scratched by a demented cat from Hell?"

Shane sat back down. "Must have done it in my sleep."

I took a sip of my new coffee and returned to my seat.

"I've never seen you do that before." Rick said.

"Me either. Aint like me at all." Shane said, sending a meaningful stare Lori's way.

I rolled my eyes at them before hesitantly taking a bite of the powdered eggs, only to make a face and dive for the bacon instead. I placed my plate on the ground for Riddick to scarf down the eggs.

"Morning." Jenner said as he entered the room.

"Morning." Everyone said quietly.

"I don't mean to ask you questions first thing in the morning." Dale said.

"But you will anyway." Jenner sighed.

"Well, we didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea said.

"And thank God for that, because these taste like crap." I muttered under my breath.

….

We ended up back in the big computer room.

"Vi, playback TS19." Jenner said, pressing a bunch of buttons on one of the computers.

"_Playback of TS19._" Vi repeated.

The giant screen on the wall came to life and I winced as the bright images assaulted my eyes.

"Few people ever saw this." Jenner said.

The images formed a human, or rather a MRI of one.

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked.

"An extraordinary one." Jenner said.

I drowned out most of what he was saying, and focused on the flashing lights that filled the brain.

"It's beautiful." I whispered.

"They're synapses." Jenner explained.

The lights danced around the brain in a hypnotizing manner. Even Riddick watched them intently.

"Scan to first event." Jenner told Vi.

"_Scanning to first event._"

The brain on the screen slowly began to turn dark, the blue stemming into black.

"What's happening?" Glenn asked.

"It invades the brain, like meningitis."

Within seconds, the brain completely went dark, no light remaining in it whatsoever.

"Then death. Everything you ever were, ever be, gone." Jenner said solemnly.

Andrea closed her eyes and I brought my arm around her shoulders.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia asked.

"Yes." Carol said.

Andrea made a chocking noise and Jenner turned towards her.

"She lost her sister a few days ago." I explained.

"I'm sorry." Jenner said sincerely. "Scan to the second event." He addressed Vi.

"_Scanning to second event._"

"Resurrection time varies widely. Having reports of it happening in 3 minutes to 8 hours. In this case, 2 hours, 1 minute, 7 seconds."

From the base of the brain, a faint red glow appeared, illuminating a few of the strands and sending currents.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked.

"No, just the brain stem. Just enough to get them up and moving."

"But, they aren't alive." Rick said.

"You tell me."

"The human part, the "you" part, doesn't come back. Just a shell" Jenner explained.

Suddenly a white flash crossed diagonally across the image.

"God, what was that?" Carol asked.

"He shot his patient." I said.

"Vi, power down the main screen and workstations." Jenner ordered.

The room began to go dark once more.

"You don't know what it is, do you?" Andrea asked, stepping towards Jenner and out of my arms.

"Could be microbial, viral, parasitic." Jenner supplied.

"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui interjected.

"There is that."

"There are other facilities, right?" Lori asked.

"There could be." Jenner said vaguely.

"How can you not know?" Rick demanded.

"Everything went down. I've been in the dark for almost a month."

"So there is nothing left anywhere? That's what you're telling us?" Andrea asked shakily, not wanting to believe that.

"I'm gonna get shit-faced drunk, again." Daryl complained, rubbing his eyes.

"Dr. Jenner, I hate to ask another question, but that clock is counting backwards. What happens at zero?"Dale asked.

"The basement generators run out of fuel." Jenner said, walking away.

"And then?" Rick asked.

Jenner didn't respond, just kept walking.

"Vi, what happens when the power runs out?" Rick asked the computer.

It was silent for a few moments before Vi responded. I understood all of what she said verbally but it still made no sense mentally. What the hell was that?

"That doesn't sound good." I said to no one in particular.

"We need to find the basement." Shane said, already heading out of the room.

Rick, Glenn and I took off after him with Riddick. We took a few hallways, went through a few doors, down a stairwell and found a map on the wall.

"In there." Rick said, pointing to a door.

We opened it and found a room filled with empty barrels of fuel. Glenn and I took off to the right, rocking barrel after barrel, only to find them all empty.

"They're all empty, Rick!" Glenn called.

Suddenly, the lights went off, and I froze. Riddick pressed against my legs.

"_Emergency lighting activated._" Vi's voice sounded throughout the basement.

"Rick, Shane!" we both called out, running to find them. "Did you guys cut the lights?"

"No, it just went out." Shane said.

"Are we down to that last barrel?" Glenn asked.

All four of us shared a look before running back up the stairs, heading to the computer room.

Upon reaching it, we saw Jenner leading the rest of the group up on the catwalk. Daryl looked pissed.

"Rick?" Lori called out in confusion. He held his hand up to her, signaling her to wait.

"Jenner, what's happening?" he demanded.

"The system is trying to keep the computers running." Jenner said distractedly, taking a swig from the bottle he held in his hands.

"It was the French." He said absentmindedly. "They were the last ones to hold out, as far as I know. As our people were running out the doors and committing suicide, they stayed in the labs till the end. Thought they had a solution."

"What happened, then?" Jacqui asked.

"Same thing here. No power grid. Ran out of juice."

"To hell with that! Lori, get our things, everyone. We are getting out of her _now_!" Rick snarled.

I hesitated, and Riddick looked at me uncertainly.

"Okay." I whispered more to myself than anyone else.

I began to follow the fleeing people. Suddenly, a loud blaring of an alarm resonated. Everyone stopped.

"What's that?" I heard Carol ask.

"It doesn't matter, keep moving!" I snapped.

"_Thirty minutes to complete decontamination._" Vi said.

"Ya'll heard Rick! Get your stuff and let's go!" Shane yelled.

Everyone began moving again, almost to the doors. I nearly face planted against the clear door that slid up, blocking our exit. For a minute, I was stunned.

"Did you just lock us in?" Glenn asked fearfully.

"No!" I pounded my fists against the glass. I ran towards Jenner.

"Let us out you bastard!" I screamed.

An arm grabbed me from behind, yanking me away from the doctor. Apparently, Daryl had the same motive, forcing Shane to apprehend him.

"Open the door, Jenner." Rick warned.

I broke free from whoever was holding me and grabbed one of the wheely chairs, running back to the doors. With all my strength I threw it, but it bounced back.

"There's no point, everything topside is locked down." Jenner said calmly.

"Then open them!" Dale demanded.

"I can't do that, the computers are in control. I told you, once those doors close, they weren't opening again!"

As everyone let that sink in, I collapsed on the floor. Riddick immediately pressed into me, his whimpers extra loud in my ear.

"It's better this way." Jenner said.

"What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick snapped.

As Shane and Rick pressed on, Jenner snapped.

He went on to explain what was going to happen.

Vi explained what he meant, and I felt a wetness fall down my face. It took me a second to realize I was crying, and I let out a sob as reality sank in.

"You're going to blow us up?" I screeched, half in anger half in despair.

"No pain." Jenner reassured. "An end to your sorrow and grief."

I buried my face into Riddick's fur before turning my head to Rick.

"Do something!" I begged.

He had a stricken look on his face, and I whipped my head around to stare at Daryl as he threw his bottle against the doors.

"Open the damn door!" he lashed, approaching Jenner again.

Shane ran at the door, an axe in his hand, and began to wale on it. Daryl joined in moments later, but the weapons did nothing but leave shallow scratches.

Andrea sat down next to me, this time wrapping her arm around my shoulders as I struggled to refrain from crying against Riddick.

"You know what's out there. A short brutal life and an agonizing death. It's easier this way."

"Easier for who?" Lori snapped.

"All of you." He turned to Andrea. "Your sister. You know what this does. You've seen it."

"Shut up!" I snapped, furiously wiping my cheeks.

"We don't want this!" Rick growled.

"I couldn't make a dent." Shane panted, stopping his attack on the door.

"Those doors are meant to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner said, seeming amused by their efforts.

"Well yer head aint!" Daryl yelled, raising the axe, reading to slice Jenner's head open.

"Back off Daryl!" Rick warned as everyone darted forward to disarm Daryl.

"But you do want this, Rick! You told me yourself, last night. You knew it was only a matter of time before everyone you loved was dead." Jenner said.

I gaped at him in disbelief.

"You said that?" Shane questioned. "After all your big talk?"

I struggled to breathe properly, and I felt new tears spring to my eyes as Jenner continued talking. Saying there was no hope. That this was our extinction event. I blinked my eyes rapidly, keeping the tears at bay.

"You can't keep us here! My daughter doesn't deserve to die this way." Carol sobbed.

"Wouldn't it be kinder? More compassionate, to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"

I jumped up and got in his face, and I was pissed.

"My loved ones are still out there!" I snarled bitterly. "They are out there! Alive! I'm not going to let you murder us!"

I heard Shane's cock his shotgun, and a pair of hands pulled me out of the way.

"Shane, put the gun down! We'll never get out of here!" Rick reasoned.

Shane lost it and started shooting at the computers, causing Riddick to bristle and bark aggressively.

Rick wrestled the gun away from him and knocked him to the ground.

"You done? Are you done?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, I guess we all are." Shane spat.

No one said anything for a long time, and I could see Rick struggling to come up with something.

"I think you're lying." He said eventually, turning to Jenner. "About no hope. If that was true, you would've bolted like the rest." He paused. "You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why?"

"It doesn't matter." Jenner said coldly.

"It matters. It always matters. Why did you stay?"

"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise to her." He pointed at the blank screen. "My wife."

"Test Subject 19?" Lori asked in disbelief.

Daryl gave up on the conversation and returned to the door, using all his pent up anger on it.

"It should have been me on that table. She was a loss to the world! She could have done something about this."

"You're wife didn't have a choice. _We _do. That's all we want!" Rick pleaded. "A choice and a chance."

"Let us try to survive as long as we can." Lori begged.

Jenner stopped, his face showing the inner turmoil.

"I told you, topsides locked down, I can't open that." He said, moving towards one of the desks.

I felt hope swell in my chest until it was a physical pain. The doors slid open, and I grabbed Andrea's hand, pulling her with me.

"Let's go!" I gasped. I felt resistance and I turned to her in confusion.

Her blue eyes stared into mine, and for a moment I thought she was going to refuse. But, she took a tentative step forward, then another until she was running next to me as we bolted, trying to gather our things.

I reached my room and she darted into the room next door, her room. Grabbing my stuff, I whistled sharply to Riddick, making sure he would follow me. I met Andrea back in the hall, and then we connected with Daryl. The three of us ran and ran until we reached topside, where everyone else was waiting, debating on how to get out.

People tried beating on the windows, throwing chairs at it. Shane even fired his shotgun at the unyielding glass.

"Rick! I have something that might help!" Carol said, reaching into her purse.

"I don't think a nail file is going to do it." Shane sniped.

"Your first morning in camp, when I washed your uniform, I found this." With shaking hands, she revealed a hand grenade.

He took it from her, ran up to the window and hesitated.

"Look out!" Shane called, and I dropped to the ground, covering Riddick with my body and my head with my arms.

Peeking through my arms, I saw Rick pull the pin and let go of the lever.

"Shit!" he yelped, running for cover just as the grenade exploded.

It shook the entire building, but did its job and shattered the glass. I laid on the ground stunned, the echo of the explosion still ringing in my ears.

"Alice! Get up!" I heard Andrea's voice, her hands grabbing my shirt and hauling me up next to her. Riddick jumped out the window and I followed as soon as I was on my feet.

I caught my bearings once I was outside, and it was then that I saw the walkers. Pulling my gun from my bag, I shot off 2 rounds, killing 2 different walkers. Multiple gun shots followed that one, and pulling my knife free, I stabbed it between the eyes of a close one.

The RV was the closest vehicle, so I yanked open the door and threw myself towards the back of the RV. I was followed by Andrea and Dale, then Lori, Carl, Rick and Glenn. Rick fumbled with the keys and shakily shoved them into the ignition.

"Get down!" Glenn yelled, pushing everyone towards the back of the Winnebago.

As soon as I hit the floor, a thunderous noise reached my ears. I heard them pop, and the ground shook with the intensity of the explosion. Even inside the RV, I could feel the heat of the flames. Soon, the shaking stopped and I peered hesitantly over the seats.

The CDC was a ball of orange and yellow fire. I felt the adrenaline in my veins die down, and I fell backwards on the floor, closing my eyes and breathing deeply. Rick started the RV and we pulled out of the demolished site and out back on the road.

Once again, we were left with nothing but shattered hopes.

…

_**O.o I don't like this chapter, honestly. Every time I would go back to fix it, I didn't know what to change. So I gave up and posted it. **_

_**On another note, I finished the first season! :D**_

_**Thank you all for the reviews and such! Love ya'll!**_


	16. Herd

We seemed to be driving forever, and I had found the strength to move myself from the floor to the table where Andrea and I were fiddling with a bunch of cards we found while at the CDC. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, so unexpected. I had heard from Dale that Jacqui had stayed behind in the blast. She had given up, stayed to be blown to pieces…

I felt so old. Like, in the past few weeks, I had aged 10 years. Everything about me felt tired and weary, and I could tell by the expression on Andrea's face that she was regretting leaving. Rick and Lori had left the RV the one time we had stopped. All that was left was Dale, Glenn, Andrea, Riddick and I. Shane and T-Dog had been forced with us because we used the gas from the Daryl's truck, T-Dog's truck and Shane's jeep to keep the RV going.

I regret that I hadn't taken the chance to walk around when we had stopped earlier that day, because I felt like I had no legs. Riddick seemed to be perfectly fine, his paws resting on the dashboard of the RV as he stared out the window.

The only good thing that came of this, no matter how selfish it may sound, was that we were heading towards Fort Benning now. I would finally find my brothers.

"Got any 8's?" I asked Andrea, bending the edges of my cards as she shuffled through hers.

"Go fish." She sighed, throwing her hand down.

I threw my cards down as well and collected them. While I was shuffling, I looked up and saw what surrounded us. A huge traffic snarl stretched as far as I could see, which was limited anyways because a large semi blocked most the road.

"Woah." I said in surprise, standing up and moving to the front of the vehicle.

Daryl looped around on his motorcycle and headed back towards the RV.

"There a way through?" Dale asked.

Daryl looked over his shoulder and nodded, heading back towards the traffic jam.

The lot of us slowly inched our way through the wreckage.

"Maybe we should go back." Glenn suggested.

"Can't spare the fuel." Dale shot down.

Everyone was silent as the Winnebago crawled through the demolished cars and trucks.

I glanced sideways and saw a family in one of the cars. They were obviously dead, and I averted my gaze as we continued. Suddenly, a loud squealing noise from the front of the RV, and a cloud of smoke and steam poured out of the grate.

Dale grimaced and slammed his palm down on the steering wheel.

Dale immediately vacated the vehicle and went to the hood.

"Problem, Dale?" Shane asked, following him out.

"Just the matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of…that was stupid." Dale amended as he glanced around the roads full of cars.

"If you can't find a radiator hose here." Shane said.

"You can find a whole bunch of stuff here." Daryl grunted, digging through the back of an SUV.

"It's a ghetto grocery store." I said, heading towards a mustang with the back hood popped up.

"We can siphon more fuel from these cars." T-Dog suggested.

"Water and food?" Carol asked.

"This is a graveyard." Lori said. "I'm not sure how I feel about this."

"Well, no one asked how you _feel _about it." I said under my breath. "And I don't care if you like it or not."

"Enough!" Rick snapped, giving me a stern look.

"Come on everyone, look around and gather what you can." Shane ordered.

I continued to rifle through the mustang, a few backpacks, and a toiletry bag.

I found some…feminine products, a pair of dark shorts, a down jacket that may come in handy by winter, a bottle of Advil and Tylenol, and a first aid kit.

Riddick was unsettled, I could tell by his bristling shoulders and the erect tail. I tried to make him stay by the RV, but he refused and continued to follow me through the destruction.

I threw the medicine and first aid kit into the growing pile by the RV and stored the clothing inside under the table where my stuff was. Then I moved onto another car, and another and another. Riddick padded off after a while, and I saw him crawl under the RV to get out of the blazing sun.

"Alice!" Sophia called, and my eyes darted to where she was in the fear of her being gnawed on by a walker.

I had to take a small minute to slow my erratically beating heart, and I turned fully towards her uneaten form.

"Yeah?" I asked.

She came running over to me and showed me what was in her hands. It was a Webkinz wolf.

"It's like Riddick!" she squealed.

I laughed a little bit and took it. "Maybe if we rub a little shoe polish on it."

I handed it back to her. "That's cool, Sophia."

She smiled and hugged the stuffed animal to her chest.

"Alice! Sophia! Get under the cars!" Rick said suddenly, darting our way.

I stood in confusion for a minute before I glanced past him and saw the stumbling dead heading our way. I quickly dropped down and pushed Sophia under the closest car.

"What's going on?" she whimpered.

"Sh." I cautioned, rolling under as well.

I slipped my knife out and brought it in front of me, using my other arm to anchor Sophia to me. She was trembling and let out a small squeak of fear as we saw the first wave of legs.

"Be quiet." I whispered, focusing on breathing silently.

_This is a fucking nightmare._

I could see Riddick under the RV from where I was, and I prayed that he wouldn't move. He was obviously agitated, and his kept licking his lips and baring his teeth at the sea of legs that separated us.

I snapped my attention back to what was happening around me and scooted more towards the middle of the car. Lori and Carol were sheltered under a truck, Carl was a few cars away from me, and I could see Rick's police hat sticking out from under his vehicle.

The entire ordeal lasted mere minutes, but I felt like it was a lifetime. Soon, the sound of shuffling feet and horrible groaning ceased, leaving nothing but the sound of buzzing bugs. Before I could stop her, Sophia began to climb out from under out shelter.

As soon as her little hand cleared the metal, a snarl ripped through the air. There was a straggler. Sophia let out a let out a yelp and started crying as she scrambled against me, backing away.

Cursing, I rolled out from under the car and pulled Sophia with me. Upon standing up, I noticed there wasn't just one walker, but three.

"Shit!" I snapped, pulling her with me. There was no way in hell I could kill three walkers with my knife. We ran into the woods, and as the both of us slid down the steep slope I could hear the walkers falling down after us.

"Where are we going?" Sophia sobbed, her small legs struggling to keep up with my longer ones.

I scooped her up and continued to run, hoping to put some distance between us and the geeks. I kept running and running, looking for a decent roost where we could shelter. Finally, I saw it. The huge oak looked ancient, its gray bark gone in some places.

"Up." I panted.

She looked at me in confusion until I abruptly pushed her up onto a tree limb that could hold both of us.

"Keep climbing." I ordered as I managed to climb up the trunk and wrap my hands around the branch, pulling myself up next to her just as the first walker stumbled into view.

Its gnarled and bloody hands scrabbled uselessly against the rough bark of the tree, but I couldn't repress the shiver that crossed over me as I stared into its milky eyes.

Sophia was panting on the branch above me, and her arms were wrapped around the trunk of the old oak as she tried to catch her breath.

"Can't you shoot him?" she begged, looking down at me.

I shook my head.

"Why?" she demanded.

"That herd will hear it." I said explained, climbing up so that I was on the branch opposite of her. "And I don't have my gun on me. It's back in the RV."

"It's just one walker!" Sophia said. "Can't you use your knife?"

As she spoke, the other two walkers limped up to our tree and copied the first. Sophia was silent.

"Now what." She whispered dully.

"Now, we wait." I sighed, tightening my legs around the limb I was on and settling in more comfortably. "Your mama is probably raising hell back with the group."

No speaking followed my statement. The sound of chirping birds and snarling monsters filled the air, and I looked farther up in the tree.

"You think we should climb higher?" I asked, more to myself then Sophia.

"I don't think I can climb any higher." Sophia said nervously, looking at the ground and wobbling a bit on her branch.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, reaching out to steady her. "Don't want to feed the geeks."

Her eyes widened and I mentally kicked myself. "Never mind."

….

"My baby!" Carol sobbed, trying to pull away from Lori.

"Shh!" Lori tried consoling the woman. "She's with Alice. She's okay."

"There's three walker's after my baby!"

The rest of the group gathered around the sobbing woman, and Riddick sniffed the air frantically, trying to find his missing friends.

"Where did they run to?" Rick asked, scanning the undergrowth of woods.

"I-I don't know! They just ran out there!" Glenn stammered nervously.

"I don't even think they knew where they were going." Dale fretted.

"Okay, everyone calm down!" Rick snapped. "Glenn, Shane, Daryl! Let's go!"

The four men wasted no time jumping the guardrail and headed into the underbrush after the missing girls.

"Bring the dog." Shane suggested before they went too far. "And something that smells like Sophia and Alice."

Carol darted off towards her car and Lori turned to head to the RV. They both returned with two t-shirts.

The men nodded at each other and continued on their way, the canine companion trailing behind them

"You see a trail?" Rick asked Daryl.

"I think." He muttered. "Girls must weigh nothin' to leave a trail this faint."

Rick shot a worried look up at the sky and the already setting sun.

"We don't have much time." I said quietly.

"Don't think I know that?" Daryl snapped.

Riddick kept his nose pressed to the ground, the sound of his constant sniffing mixing with the sound of running water.

Sure enough, a few steps more and they ran across a river with a steep bank.

"Trail goes cold here." Daryl sighed irritably.

"Too dark to see anything else out here, man." Shane grunted.

"Should we head back?" Rick asked.

"And leave them out here?" Glenn said in disbelief. "At night? All alone? Without a weapon?"

"Sophia is with Alice. She has her knife." Rick reasoned.

"There were three walkers after them!" Glenn protested.

"If we stay out here any longer we'll end up walker food. We won't do them much good then, will we?" Rick asked.

Glenn seethed silently, the rifle clenched tightly in his hands.

In silence, the group began to head back. A small whimper stopped them. Turning, they saw Riddick looking out over the creek and deeper into the blackening forest.

"Let's go, Riddick." Shane whistled.

The animal didn't move a muscle. Shane whistled again.

"Now, Riddick. Come!"

After another moment's hesitation, the dog sullenly turned and padded their way, his head hung low in despair.

"Damn, that's depressin'." Daryl muttered.

….

"It's getting dark, Alice." Sophia said nervously, glancing down at the still present walkers. "Why isn't anyone looking for us?"

"I'm sure they're looking for us. It's just that they can't cover much ground in the dark. They'll probably find us tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" Sophia yelped.

"Shh!"I snapped quickly. "You want more of those _things _to find us?"

She pressed her lips together and sniffled. I sighed in annoyance and prepared myself for the waterworks. As her small frame began to shake, I stood up on my branch and shimmied onto hers.

I sat down and pulled her towards me, wrapping my arms around her the same way Adam had held me when I had gotten locked "accidently" in the attic and thought I was going to be eaten by the boogey man.

"_**It's okay, Alice. I've got you." Adam said, pulling me through the doorway and back into the hallway of the main house, brushing cobwebs from my hair.**_

"It's okay, Sophia. I got you."


	17. Reasons Why Alice Doesn't Like Lori :D

_**SPOILER ALERT!SPOILER ALERT!SPOLIER ALERT**_

_Hi! I'm Alice from Alice in Walkerland! I have some things I would like to say:_

_First, I would like to give a special thanks to: Emberka-2012 and BamaBearRTNo1 for their faithful reviewing! Thank you! 3_

_Second, I would like to give a viewer and reviewer of mine some "special attention". _

_Dear Bob, the reason Alice is being a BITCH to Lori is because Lori is an idiot and should've been killed off in the first season. _

_**The reason why I don't bash RICK GRIMES: He is an asset to the group, he is the leader, he is the man you go to when shit hits the fan. He doesn't have to worry about just a son anymore, he has a whole group to look after! He is trying to provide for his (bitch of) a wife and his son, plus 10 other people. Lori goes around giving orders, getting pregnant, sleeping around and throwing up abortion pills. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the baby came out looking like T-Dog!**_

_**The reason I don't bash CAROL PELTIER (yet): I can't get angry at her. She might as well be a freaking kicked puppy. Don't worry though, I get pretty pissed off when she starts putting down Rick after he goes tromping through woods looking for her little girl and when he tells everyone that they are infected and she starts blaming him.**_

_**And a list of reasons why I don't particularly care for a certain LORI GRIMES.**_

_**Reason 1- She sleeps with her husband's BEST. FRIEND. Just days after he is proclaimed dead.**_

_**Reason 2- She should have not blown Shane off like she did when Rick came back, and then she bitches at him for not being the perfect surrogate father. I believe her words to Shane were, "Stay away from me and stay away from my family" and then when shit hits the fan, she clings to him like a fucking leech.**_

_**Reason 3- When they are at that giant traffic jam in Episode 201 when everyone says that they should take advantage of the abandoned cars Lori says, "I don't know how I feel about this, it's a graveyard."  
HELLO!? Last time I checked they were in the middle of a freakin ZOMBIE APOCOLYPSE! Her son needs food, water, shelter, clothing, all these things, and she is focusing on her MORALS?!**_

_**Reason 4- Carl gets shot, Lori goes to the farm, she finds out Hershel is a vet and not an actual doctor, and she blows up at him! That man is the only thing that will keep her son alive, and she has a hissy fit because he's not a licensed doctor? I repeat, you are in the middle of a ZOMBIE APOCOLPSE! You take what you can get! Hershel should have given Lori a fork, knife and spoon and told her to do her own damn operation!**_

_**Reason 5- When Rick tells everyone he kills Shane, he also goes on to explain how Shane had led him out there, how he had staged the entire Randall thing just so that he could kill Rick. Lori gets all pissed at HIM. She goes against her living husband, the man who raised her child, the man who had loved her and all her (bitchy) faults. Oh, but she DOES take the side of her dead bedbuddy!**_

_**Reason 6- She was completely, totally and irrevocably opposed to letting Carl learn how to shoot. What happens when the camp gets attacked, or when he is about to get eaten by a walker? I would want my kid to know how to defend himself.**_

_**Reason 7- Shane was getting better. He was starting to come to grips with the fact that he would not be able to have Lori, and he was starting to follow Rick. But then, Lori comes in there and tells him that there is a possibility that the baby is his, and he goes psycho and tries to kill Rick.**_

_**Reason 8- Inadvertently, she is the reason Dale died. If she had watched her kid and made sure he didn't go wandering around, stealing guns, and throwing rocks at walkers, then said walker would have never broken out of the mud and ripped Dale's insides out.**_

_**Reason 9- When she goes after Rick, Glenn and Hershel, what did she think that she was going to be able to do? If the three of them couldn't get out of the town, what chance in hell did she think she had? Then she leaves without telling anyone, she leaves her son all alone, and knowing she is pregnant, she heads off into the unknown.**_

_**Reason 10- The last night on the farm, when they get attacked, it is night time, and Lori lets her kid just wander off. AT NIGHT. I think the woman deserves the mother of the year award.**_


	18. Sorry Lori (AN)

SPOILER ALERT!SPOLIER ALERT!SPOILER ALERT!

I've been putting this off for a while, but I think I need to say it. I feel truly sorry for Lori Grimes. I feel bad for the baby, Carl and Rick, too. You all are probably saying, "But you said you hated her guts!" and "What a hypocrite."

Well ladies and gentleman, I don't take back any of what I said from before. I still think that she is an idiot and that she needed to die. I just really did not expect her death to be that sad and heart-wrenching.

For her to sit there and tell her own son that she was dying and how much she loved him. Then seeing his mom being cut open and then dying in front of him. And on top of that, he had to put her down.

And Rick's reaction just broke me. He completely lost it, and I haven't seen him that upset since he killed Shane. So I would just like to say that I am sorry for being as harsh to Lori in my story as I have been, and I will _SLOWLY_ start making Alice tolerate her more.

Speaking of the story, I am still writing it. I am actually almost done with the next chapter. I've just been busy with school and my AP classes, plus the fact that I am completely lacking in ambition. This is a really hard chapter to write, and will probably be the worst yet!

So to sum it up…

1) I am sorry Lori

And

2) I will be updating VERY SOON

Thank you for all my views, I'm up to 4,554 views! Love you guys!


	19. Lacking Imagination for Chapter Name :)

My head jerked upwards, and my eyes flew open.

"Whoa." I said.

"What?" Sophia asked, her blue eyes meeting mine.

"I heard the weirdest dream. I dreamt that I was on Late Night with David Letterman." I said groggily. "We were talking about the Top 10 reasons why I hate Lo-," I broke off abruptly as she stared at me. "Uh, I mean…nevermind." I amended.

We were still in the tree, and the walkers were still growling and trying to eat us. Everything ached, and I swear there was an acorn in my bra.

"I'm hungry." Sophia muttered, swinging her legs back and forth.

I patted my pockets and shot her an apologetic look. "Sorry, squirt."

"I'm thirsty, too."

My hand darted towards the water bottle that was hanging by my right leg. I had tied a string from my belt loop to the bottle itself, and it had a few mouthfuls left in it. Unstringing it, I held it out to her.

"Here." I said, my throat going dry as I gave away my only water source.

Her eyes lit up in excitement, and she took it from me eagerly. She guzzled the water and handed me the bottle back.

"Thank you."

I shrugged and plucked an acorn from one of the sticks by her head. Holding it over the walkers, I let it drop and land on their heads.

"I shouldn't have left the car." Sophia sighed. "I should've done like you told me to. I'm sorry."

"No one could've known those geeks were out there. We thought they had passed." I said. "It isn't your fault."

Sophia shrugged and plucked off another acorn, dropping it onto the walkers below.

"Too bad we don't have a slingshot." I said, dropping my own acorn on the ground. "It would make being stuck up in this tree a lot more fun."

"How so?" Sophia asked.

"Well, my brothers and I used to terrorize the neighbors cattle. There was one tree in the front pasture, and when they'd come 'round from the back pasture, my oldest brothers, Jacob and Chris, would round them up on their horses."

Sophia seemed absorbed in the story. "And?"

"Me and my other three brothers, Vincent, Adam and Bryan, would sit up in that tree with our rubber bands and paper hornets, and we'd shoot those cows till they blew steam."

"Didn't it hurt them?" Sophia asked worriedly.

"I think it pissed them off more than anything." I said, stretching my legs on my perch.

"Tell me another story." Sophia demanded.

I blinked in surprise. "Um, okay." I said uncertainly, thinking hard for a story that wouldn't scar her for life.

….

"Okay everybody! Keep your eyes and ears open! We're gonna take the creek up about 5 miles, then come back down on the other side." Daryl explained.

"Riddick is going to pick up smells before we can see anything, so I want someone watching him at all times." Rick said.

Glenn raised his hand. "I can do that." He offered.

Rick nodded and turned to Dale. "Get the rest of the repairs done; we need to be ready to move out when we find the girls."

"No problem. Bring Sophia and Alice back." Dale said, turning to the RV.

"And can you keep an eye on Carl while we're gone?"

"No way! I'm going with you!" Carl protested.

Rick hesitated, looking to Lori for advice.

"I can't always be the bad guy." Lori stated, holding up her hand.

"He's got all you to look after him, I'd day he's in good hands." Dale supported.

"Ok." Rick consented.

The look of happiness on Carl's face made Rick feel a little better momentarily, but it was gone in a flash.

….

Sophia's form leant into mine, and I struggled to keep myself awake. Once again, the Georgia sun was setting and in my thirst deprived state, I could've sworn that I heard a gunshot. When Sophia's slumbering form didn't move I labeled it as my imagination.

I couldn't believe the walkers were still down there, still clawing at the wooden trunk. I couldn't believe I left my freaking gun at the RV, and I sure as hell couldn't believe that they hadn't fucking found us yet!

My right arm anchored Sophia to me, and my left rubbed futilely at my eyes in an attempt to wake myself up. My eyes watered when a few particles of dirt worked its way in, and I cursed loudly into the dark night.

"Son of a-," A whistling sound interrupted my rant, and I watched through blurry eyes as one of the walkers suddenly fell to the ground with a thud.

For a few seconds, I was dumbly confused. Then I saw a figure beneath us dart out of the bushes and whack the walker with some type of machete.

"Sophia? Alice?" I heard Glenn's voice call from the forest floor.

I blinked a few times. Was this some kind of sick hallucination that my desperate mind conjured, or was their really an Asian, a blonde and a redneck down there calling mine and Sophia's name?

"Guys?" I called down the tree, craning my head to spot there figures down in the underbrush.

Then, a sharp bark reached my ears.

"Riddick?" I whispered uncertainly.

Sophia lifted her head off my shoulder and looked at me in confusion.

"What's going-,"

"It's us Alice! Me and Daryl. Andrea and Riddick." Glenn called up to us.

"It's them!" Sophia squealed. She began to head down the tree, but I stopped her.

"Let me go first. This way if you fall, I might be able to catch you." I said. Only after did I realize it probably wasn't the smartest thing to say to a kid climbing down a 20 foot tree. But she didn't seem too bothered by it.

"We're coming down!" I said to Glenn, beginning my descent. Sophia followed my trail, her knuckles white as she kept a death grip on the tree limbs.

The rough bark scratched at my palms and caused red welts to rise on my skin when I would slip. It was a lot harder coming down a tree than going up one. I felt vulnerable with my back turned towards the trees surrounding me, but I trusted the people below us to watch my back.

I stumbled when my feet hit solid ground, and turned around to help Sophia jump down the rest of the way. She seemed heavier than before and I almost dropped her.

Riddick raced up to me and placed his large paws on my shoulders, licking my sweaty face. I made a face before kissing him on the head and hugging him. "Good boy."

"You guys hid in a tree?" Andrea asked in confusion.

"It's a good idea." Glenn supplied.

I tried swallowing but my throat was so dry.

"Anybody got any water?" I asked, my voice cracking.

Daryl grunted and tossed a water bottle at me. I caught it and was about to take a drink when I realized Sophia was probably thirsty to. I handed her the warm bottle and she took it quickly, drinking about half the bottle before I stopped her.

"You're gonna get cramps." I muttered, taking it from her and chugging the rest.

"I can't believe you're both okay!" Andrea breathed in relief.

"Everyone has been looking for you guys." Glenn added, wiping the machete on a nearby tree.

"Couldn't have made it a little easier to find you?" Daryl said.

"I thought you didn't like easy hunting, Dixon." I shot back, handing him the empty water bottle which he shoved in the pack Glenn was carrying.

The sound of a breaking branch in the distance broke our conversation, and Daryl quickly raised his crossbow in the direction of the noise.

"I think we should be heading back." Andrea said, the knife in her hands raised.

I unsheathed my own and snapped my fingers at Riddick who began to furiously sniff the air. After a few seconds he lowered his head and looked at me curiously, his tail wagging away.

"I think we're good, for now." I said, and the group of us started heading back the way we came.

The way back to the highway was long and confusing. I tripped over multiple sticks, stepped on Riddick's paw once and was bitten by a few thousand mosquitoes. Finally, the dense forest cleared out and I saw the hill that led to the top of the highway.

Dale was sitting on top of the RV, rifle in hand. Carol was seated inside with T-Dog.

"Dale! We found them!" Glenn called softly as we climbed the gentle slope.

No sooner than he had spoken, I saw Carol dart out of the RV and barrel towards us.

"Sophia!" she sobbed.

"Mommy!" Sophia cried, running to meet her mother.

Carol enveloped her daughter in a hug and started crying. I walked past them and straight into the RV after giving Dale thumbs up. I greeted T-Dog and briefly inquired about his injury before stepping over Daryl's sleeping bag and collapsing on the bed in the back.

I briefly felt Riddick settling down on the floor, his head snaking under my dangling arm. I woke up once or twice when Daryl and Andrea entered the RV and when T-Dog and Glenn left in one of the cars. After that, nothing.

….

When I woke up the next morning, I had a pounding headache that seemed to echo behind my eyes. I snuggled deeper into the mattress and breathed in the smell of clean sheets. That when I remembered the sheets in Dale's RV smelled like…well, like dirty sheets.

I lifted my head up quickly and my mouth fell agape as I took in my surroundings. I was in a very neat and spiffy room. It was very clean, organized and perfect looking. I was lying in a bed, and there was an I.V hooked up to my arm which immediately made me queasy.

I went to rip the needle out when a young girl walked in. She couldn't be much older than Carl, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She widened her eyes when she saw me reaching for the needle.

"Oh, don't do that!" she gasped, rushing over to me.

I flinched away and regarded her suspiciously.

"Where am I?" I demanded harshly, yanking the I.V out anyway, wincing at the feeling of it sliding from my skin.

"You don't remember-," the girl started.

"Alice! You're awake!"

I looked past Blondie and at Sophia who came in followed by Carol.

"Morning, sweetie." Carol grinned at me, holding her daughter's hand. Relaxing a bit, I questioned her.

"What happened, Carol?" I asked, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.

Carol wrinkled her eyebrows at me. "You mean you don't remember?"

I shook my head.

"Well, after you brought back Sophia," she gave me a look that expressed all the thanks she felt, "and passed out in the back of the RV, we came here to be with Carl, Rick, Shane and Lori."

"Why are they here?" I asked, attempting to stand up.

"Well, Carl got shot, dear." Carol said carefully.

I looked at her hard. "That's not funny, Carol." I said shakily.

"It's not a joke, Alice. When we were out looking for you all Shane, Rick and Carl went off by themselves. Carl got shot by one of Herschel's men."

Herschel? Who the hell was Hershel?

The blood drained from my face and I sank back onto the bed.

"Is he alive?" I asked hoarsely. This was definitely not the wakeup call I had expected.

Carol nodded and I let out a breath of relief. Patting my hand, Carol turned towards the door.

"Let's go, Beth. She'll be fine. Come downstairs when you're ready, Alice."

As the door shut after them, I fell backwards on the bed. It was an eerie feeling, not remembering what had happened the night before. It was like being drunk, but minus the hangover.

I looked around for a restroom in the room and walked into the small space. I washed my face and tried to comb through my hair with my fingers. I hadn't seen myself in a mirror since the CDC, and I looked like shit.

Cuts marred my skin, and my hair was getting unmanageable. I hated leaving my hair long because it gave Walkers too much to grab on to. My clothes and skin were covered in blood, dog hair and dirt.

Turning the water off I left the bathroom and headed to the door, placing my hand on the door knob. Time to face the rest.

_**Haha, I did it. I'm sorry about the wait, guys. I feel bad about it but there have been a few distractions in my life. But that's not a good excuse, so I'll just say I've spent the last 2 months defending you all from aliens trying to invade Earth and steal your socks. You're Welcome. **___


	20. Old McDonald

My head was throbbing something awful and where the I.V had been stuck in my arm was sore. I really didn't want to go down there and make awkward introductions but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

I walked through the door and down the stairs where I found the first floor empty of people. I heard voices coming from the porch so I unwillingly headed in that direction, my heart pounding with anxiety. I was not so great with making peoples acquaintance.

I peeked through the door and saw Glenn sitting sullenly in one of the chairs, his fingers running over the strings of a guitar. A few dozen feet away from the main house I saw the rest of our group camped out, with their tents pitched and a small cooking fire burning.

Slipping through the doorway, I came onto the porch and smiled at Glenn.

"Good to see you up and moving, finally." He said with a smile of his own.

"Finally?" I questioned, sitting in a chair next to him.

"Yeah. You've been out for almost two days." Glenn informed me, once again trying to strum the guitar.

"Two days?" I said in disbelief. "That can't be right."

Glenn shrugged. "You can choose to believe it or not." He said.

I snorted in shock and leaned back in my chair.

"Thirsty?" Glenn asked.

"Nope." I said.

"Well, too bad. Doc said to keep you hydrated if—scratch that, _when _you pulled out your I.V." He handed me a bottle of water and I took it with a sigh.

"Weird thing is I don't remember coming here." I murmured. "Not even walking into the house." I took a sip.

"That's cause you didn't wake up. Daryl had to carry you in."

I choked on my water, and began coughing uncontrollably.

"Daryl?"I wheezed.

"Yep. But I'd give him some distance. You kind of elbowed him in the face when he tried the first time."

"I'm surprised he didn't just drop me." I said as I recovered.

"I'm sure he debated it." Glenn said, finally giving up on the instrument and laying it ungracefully on the ground.

"You can't play?" I asked.

"No." he scoffed.

I reached down and plucked the guitar up, positioning it in my lap.

"I only ever learned one song on this damned thing." I muttered, tuning it.

"And what would that be."

"Never Too Late." I replied.

I was met with silence. Looking up at him, I saw the blankness in his eyes.

"You know." I continued. "Three Days Grace."

Still he showed no recognition.

"You are so not educated in the wonders of music."

"Bite me."

"Alice."

I looked towards the direction of the voice calling me and spotted Rick motioning me in his direction. With a sigh I handed the guitar back to my Asian friend.

"Do you know what he wants?" I asked.

"Not a clue."

"You're helpful."

"I try."

I lifted myself from the rocking chair and stumbled a bit when a heavy wave of vertigo washed through me.

"Stay hydrated." Glenn sang as I snagged my water and began to walk away.

"Go choke on a rice ball."

The small setup that we had over in the tiny clustering of trees was organized and tidy. I almost felt like we were camping. Rick was talking with an older man and an older woman. Daryl stood off to the side, listening but not adding to the conversation.

I saw a black shape curled around a pile of junk in an empty space. It took me a few seconds to realize it was my junk. And that black shape was my dog. A giant smile spread across my face as Riddick lifted his head and stared at me. The canine jumped to his feet and took off running at me.

I thought I was prepared for the impact of 130 pounds of muscle, but I was sadly mistaken. He jumped at me, his tail wagging so fast I thought it would fall off, and knocked me on my ass. The pain was pushed aside as I let him lick my face and sniff me.

"_YOU ARE ALIVE!_"

"Of course I am," I grinned. "You think a little dehydration would put me down?"

"Not just a 'little' bit of dehydration, young lady." The old man said, Rick and Daryl trailing behind him. "You hadn't eaten or drank anything in almost 2 days. You could have had a stroke."

"Alice, this is Herschel." Rick said, extending a hand to help me off the ground. "This is his farm. He saved Carl's life."

I reached out my own hand to Herschel and shook it. "Thank you." I said earnestly.

He gave a small unsure smile before turning back to Rick. "There are a few finer details I would like to discuss with you." When Rick didn't move, he added "Alone."

As the two walked off, that left me and Daryl standing there awkwardly with an ecstatic dog between us. I notice a part of his cheek that was a little darker than the rest.

"So," I began with a teasing smirk, "How did my elbow feel?"

Daryl snorted and shot back, "How did that wooden floor feel."

I gaped back at him. "You did _not _drop me!"

He shrugged. "Whatever, but I'm sure yer ass is pretty sore. You hit pretty hard."

Me and Daryl had formed a sort of antagonistic friend/brother and sister relationship. We both realized that it was just too damn fun to mess with each other.

Let's face it. 5 months of sharing an environment can make you do some pretty risky things. Like hiding his crossbow in the RV's mess and watching as he blew up at everyone but me. It was fucking hilarious. No one every suspects the quiet people. That's why we're the dangerous ones.

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "Nice try, Glenn already told me you didn't."

"The Chinaman takes the fun out of everything."

We stood there for a few minutes, just staring out over the landscape around us.

"Well, I better head out. Gotta feed yer hungry asses-,"

"Thank you."

He looked at me, but I kept my eyes on the ground.

"For what?"

"For looking for me and Sophia. For finding us." I looked at him now, and he looked away.

"It was nothing Rick or Shane wouldn't have done." He grumbled.

"Exactly. So stop putting yourself beneath them. If anything, I think you're probably right equal with them. If you try and work on your people skills." I couldn't help but adding.

"Don't like people."

"You like me!"

"Debatable."

I grimaced as he turned and started walking away.

"Love you too, Dixon."

"Quit yer whining, Mason."

I couldn't help childishly sticking my tongue out at his retreating figure, and I turned to walk the opposite way, only to run into a hard chest.

"Ow! Damn it!" I snapped, grabbing my nose.

I looked up to meet the face of a stranger, a young guy. Narrowing my eyes I looked at him expectantly.

"Can I help you?"

"Uh, I'm looking for someone. A guy named Rick?" The stranger asked nervously.

I pointed in the direction he took off in. "He went that way. Talking to Herschel."

"Thanks. I'm Jimmy by the way."

"Alice." I provided.

There was a weird silence that followed and Riddick waited by me patiently, occasionally licking my pant leg. Pursing my lips, I stepped around him and started walking to my unpacked items. Another kick of vertigo swiped my vision away and I leaned against Riddick for support.

I gracelessly deposited myself on the dusty ground and pulled a blanket out of my pack, laid it on the ground and rolled onto it. I unscrewed the top of my waterbottle and took a chug. When I opened my eyes, that Jimmy kid was in front of me again.

I glanced over at Riddick with annoyance.

"_Do you want me to bite him?_"

"That's a big dog. What breed is he?" Jimmy asked.

Come on, I chided myself. These people took us in. Be polite. Be polite.

"He's a Wolfdog. Half gray wolf, half German Shepherd." I responded, unpacking the rest of my crap and trying my best to organize it.

"That's cool." Jimmy said.

"Yep. Sure is." I hesitated in my movement. "Didn't you need to find Rick?" I asked politely.

"Oh, yeah." He said, walking in the direction I said earlier after a moments hesitation.

I watched him walk away.

"Okay, was that weird or was that weird." I whispered to Riddick. "I mean, he has to be like 17 or 18. I'm about to have my 24 birthday in a few months."

I didn't get any kind of acknowledgement from him as he laid down next to me on the blanket. His back pressed against my back comfortingly, and I took another swig from the water bottle as I pulled out _Black Beauty _and opened to the page where I had left off.

"Chapter 23: A Strike For Liberty. One day, my lady came down later than usual…"

….

Around the end of the day, I had ventured away from the small group campsite and gone off with Riddick to explore a little bit. There were fields after fields of rolling grass with a scatter of trees every so often.

Along the way I ran into T-Dog and Dale, who appeared to be gathering water for the group. As I approached them, Riddick began to bristle and walk stiffly. I rolled my eyes at him and gave him a shove with my boot.

"Knock it off." I hissed at him.

Instead of listening to me like I had hoped he would, he darted off in the direction of the well, barking into it crazily.

"Damn it, Riddick!" I snapped at him, catching up with him and grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. I was about to pull him away when I noticed that there was a giant hole in the boards that covered the otherwise exposed well.

"What it is?" Dale asked a few feet away from me by the pump. T-Dog leaned heavily against the rusty metal contraption in exhaustion.

Peering into the dank hole, I gagged and put my arm over my nose to block out the smell of rotten, water-logged flesh.

"Dale," I wheezed, "You gotta check this out."

The old man frowned before walking towards me and the barking Riddick. He squatted down next to me and looked in. His response to it was a little more composed, but the look of disgust was still plain as day.

"T-Dog." Dale called.

"What's up?" Said man asked, approaching the well.

"Go fetch Shane. Tell him that there is a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"An ugly one." I supplied.

As T-Dog caught a glimpse of what was in the waterhole, he wasted no time heading in the other direction.

"Sure. Be back in five."

As he made a hasty beeline back to camp, Dale glanced over at me.

"Might as well start pulling off the boards, huh?"

"I guess. It's gotta come out one way or another." I looked down at the walker than back at the hole, "and I don't think he's quite small enough to fit back through."

So, we began the tiresome project of prying the boards from the concrete ring they were nailed to. Board after board. After board.

_**I'm really super duper positively extremely sincerely sorry for not updating. Seriously. Time just got away from me and before I knew it I hadn't updated in months. It's just that I really can't progress inside the story until I get past this giant lump of inactivity in the story. Saving Sophia means that I have to plan out an entire new plan of action for the group. So, I beg you, please put up with my tardiness and please forgive me for being a horrible updater-er. **_


	21. WALTER

We were done by the time the rest of the group showed up. Shane, T-Dog, Andrea, Glenn, Lori and Herschel's oldest daughter, Maggie all strolled up with a look of hesitation on their faces. Dale and I stood near the well, casting occasional glances down at Walter the Walker, as I had so endearingly nicknamed it.

As everyone circled the hole in the ground, Walter looked up at us and reached out, as if he was trying to grab us and pull us in with it. The groans it emitted were noticeably different from the other walkers that we had encountered.

"Looks like we got ourselves a swimmer." Dale commented.

"How long," Glenn asked. "do you think it's been down there?"

"Long enough to grow gills." Andrea sniped.

I rolled my eyes at her sarcastic response.

"We can't leave it in there. God knows what it's doing to the water." Lori said.

"It's probably already contaminated. Wouldn't want to be drinking that." I said, watching the swollen creature turn in circles.

"Gotta get it out." Shane pushed.

"Walter doesn't look like he wants to come out peacefully." I was met with confused looks. "I named him."

"Don't name it!" Glenn scolded. "Once you name them, you get attached to them!"

Maggie stiffened in a way that I couldn't explain, so I just shrugged it off.

"I'll go get a stick."

"Why?" Andrea asked.

"So I can poke at it." I explained as if though it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Gonna need a big stick." Glenn said quietly, kneeling down next to me and peering into the hole.

I felt like we were conspiring children.

"Then go find a rock and drop it. I want to see what happens."

"Guys, this is serious. We need to take care of this." Andrea growled.

"Easy. Put a bullet in its head." T-Dog suggested. "I'll get a rope."

"Whoa!" Maggie shot down. "No!"

"Why?" I asked.

"It's a good plan." Glenn agreed.

"It's a stupid plan." Andrea snapped. "If that thing hasn't contaminated the water yet, blowing it's brains out sure will finish the job."

"She's right. We can't risk it. It's gotta come out alive." Shane finalized.

"How are we going to do that?" I asked.

Silence answered my question. I looked up curiously to see all eyes on Glenn. My mouth fell open.

"Really guys? Really?" I groaned.

"Y-yeah. I mean, can't we try something else before you all commit third degree murder." Glenn stuttered.

"Dad has a canned ham in the house. We can crack it open and see if the fishes bite." Maggie suggested quickly, a look of horror in her eyes.

Shane nodded once and she took off for the house, as if she was scared they'd change their minds if she didn't hurry.

She made it back in record time with fishing line, a can with pale pink meat in it and a rope that had already been fastened into a noose. We set up our rig and sent down both lines. The walker took no notice.

"It's not interested." I sighed in defeat, keeping one hand on Riddick as he peered into the hole and growled at the monster.

"Because a canned ham don't kick and scream." T-Dog said.

"There's a reason the dead didn't come back to raid our cupboards." Lori stated.

"Sorry Glenn." I whispered, patting his back as he groaned.

….

Shane tied a second rope into a harness like object and tightened it around Glenn's legs.

"Have I ever told you I liked your haircut?" Glenn asked shakily. "You have a nice shaped head."

"Don't worry, man. We'll get you out in one piece."

"_Living _piece. The living part _is _important."

"You people are crazy!" Maggie accused, running a hand through her hair.

"You want it out of your well?" Shane nearly snapped.

We all took our positions, looping the rope holding Glenn around the water pump and grabbing a hold of the rough rope material. With a nod from Glenn, we began to lower him into the hole.

My heart was nearly beating out of my chest as the rope went from slack to tense with the weight of my Asian friend. Lower and lower Glenn went and the tighter the rope got. I was glad I had Shane in front of me. His strength was welcomed any day, but today especially.

Everything seemed to be going good until an unusual creaking sound came from the pump. My eyes widened and I tightened my grip on the rope seconds before it was torn from the ground. Shane leapt forward to grab it as it flew forwards. I found myself flung forward with it, and I planted my feet against the concrete ring.

The jolt nearly dislocated my arms, and suddenly I wasn't the only one next to the opening. T-Dog held the pump in his hands, the look of pain on his face evident as his injured arm was aggravated. Everyone else was grabbing the rope, the pump or T-Dog himself.

Glenn's screams could be heard from inside the stone walls of the well, and it seemed to give everyone a renowned sense of urgency. With strength no one knew they had, suddenly we were moving away from the well and Glenn's head was appearing over the top.

Shane and I darted forward, grabbing Glenn and throwing him onto the solid ground.

"Are you ok?" I gasped, looking him over hurriedly for bites or scratches.

He didn't respond, just kept his hand pressed to the ground and panted. Shaking my head, I nudged Riddick aside when he crowded and stood up.

"Back to the drawing board."

Suddenly Glenn was smirking as he moved to his feet.

"Says you." He handed Dale the rope and stumbled away.

Dale gave the rope an experimental jerk and was surprised when he met resistance. I moved to the edge of the hole and burst out in a fit of nervous laughter. The Walter was ready to be lynched.

"Got a horse we can borrow?" Andrea asked Maggie.

"Yeah." She panted, whipping sweat of her brow. "Be back."

When she returned with the horse, everything went smoothly. We wrapped the end of the rope around the saddle horn on the bay mare's saddle and walked her forward. The rest of us held the rope and pulled.

You could tell when Walter was closer to the surface because the smell became worse, if that was possible.

"Little more, Maggie!" I called back to her as she pulled the horse forward a few more feet.

As the swollen, water engorged head cleared the top, water and yellowish fluid spurted from its ears, coating the ground and T-Dogs shoes with a thin slime. Then we met resistance.

"He's stuck!" T-Dog supplied.

"Stop pulling!" I yelled. "He's gonna split-,"

I didn't get to finish my sentence as the lower half of Walter's body split from the top half, sending a pair of legs and guts cascading back into the watery hole. Walter continued to squirm around, reaching out for us and trying to squirm his way toward our legs.

"Seal off the well." Dale said.

"Yep." Shane agreed, rubbing his nose.

"What do we do about-," Andrea's question was cut off as T-Dog slammed an object a few times on Walter's head.

"Yeah," he panted when Walter stopped moving, "Good thing we didn't do anything stupid, like shoot it." T-Dog groused, turning away and shuffling back to camp.

Eventually, everyone followed suit. Shane walked next to me, an annoyed look on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Huh?" He started, looking confused.

"You look like somebody pissed in your cornflakes."

"It's nothing."

"Always something, Shane."

He sighed and ran a hand over his recently shaven head before gesturing around with it.

"The Walker made it in somehow. That means that this place aint safe like we had imagined. Don't let your guard down, Alice." He finished vaguely, patting me on my back. He picked up speed and limped away.

I looked down at Riddick as Shane made his way away from us.

"Yep. Someone pissed in his cornflakes."

"_**It wasn't me.**_"

"I didn't say it was you."

"_**Sure, but you were thinking it.**_"

"Oh, so you're a _mind reader_ now, are you?"

"_**Of course. Right now you're recalling how much you love me.**_"

We continued our march back to the house where I planned to take advantage of Herschel's showers and lay down for a good nights sleep.

o


	22. Chupacabra

When I said I was going to take advantage of the Greene's showers, I meant it. Now, I didn't keep track of the time while I was in there or anything, but that was the best 10 minutes of my entire life.

I tried not to think about the water that was washing down the drain, stained brown by the filth that had covered me from head to toe. I decided I had died of some fatal shower incident and gone to heaven when I found the shampoo next to the tub.

I was reluctant to leave the warm safety of the shower, but all good things came to an end. So with a flick of my wrist I shut off the water and quickly dressed myself in my spare clothes, my shorts and T-shirt. I could hear Riddick's shifting form from outside the door, so I decided to end his suffering.

Stepping out into the hall, I was met by Carol and Andrea. Both women seemed to be debating on who would be taking the next shower.

"I was here first." Andrea insisted.

"No, you weren't! I was, but I had to leave to get Sophia!" Carol snapped back.

"Exactly! You left! That means it was free game!"

I blinked in surprise at the rather heated argument and stepped around the bickering pair. Sophia was standing nearby, petting Riddick slowly as she tried to drown out the arguing.

"How long have they been there?" I whispered to her.

"5 minutes, give or take." She whispered back.

"I see."

Sophia shot an irritated glance at the women before blowing a lock of hair out of her face and marching into the bathroom herself, closing the door behind her with a slam. The sound of the lock clicking into place seemed to grab the attention of both Carol and Andrea.

I couldn't help but laugh at the astounded look on their faces. I continued my fit of laughter, down the stairs, out the front door and finally to the lit campfire where I sat down in one of the foldable camp chairs.

Lori was pushing around some squirrel meat in a skillet and T-Dog and Dale were in the RV, scrounging around for something. Rick and Shane were seated nearby in their own chairs, each silent and looking deep in thought.

Riddick plopped down by my side, his panting the only thing breaking the silence besides the crackling of the fire and sizzling of cooking meat. It seemed like a lifetime before Carol, Andrea and Sophia finally joined us, each looking primped and clean.

"Where's Daryl?" I asked, noticing he was the only one of our party missing.

"I was taking a piss." The familiar draw said from somewhere to my right. "I'm downright flattered to know you were worried though."

"Well don't be too flattered," I snapped back glaring at him good naturedly. "I was just concerned that your Chupacabra may have eaten you and gotten a stomachache from all the bullshit."

"Chupacabra?" Rick snorted from his seat.

"Oh, you didn't hear the story?" Dale asked, coming from the RV to sit at the picnic table with T-Dog.

"Heard what?" Rick asked.

"Well, first night at camp, Daryl tells us about how the whole things reminds him of the time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a Chupacabra." Shane explained, hiding his smirk behind his hand.

Rick snorted and shook his head.

"What?" Daryl asked, sitting down in the empty seat next to mine and taking the plate Carol handed to him.

"You believe…in a bloodsucking dog?"

"You believe in dead people walking around?" Daryl shot back.

Rick just smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Touché."

The rest of the meal was continued in silence. Lori left halfway through to take a meal up to Carl. I kicked myself once I realized I hadn't been up to see him since his accident. Making a mental note to do so tomorrow, I scraped the last bit of squirrel (which I am hesitant to say I've grown used to) into Riddick's mouth.

As everyone dispersed to their respectful sleeping quarters, I stood up from my own seat and took two steps before collapsing on my blanket. I was tired as hell, but the rope burn from earlier today still stung fiercely on my hands.

Tucking the abused limbs into my body and laying my head down on Riddick's back I made another mental note, this time to wrap them when I woke up. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh and waited for sleep to take me.

….

I woke up the next morning to the bustle of camp activity. Carol and Lori were hanging laundry nearby. Groaning, I straightened out and winced as my back popped. I may have been sleeping on the ground and RV floor for at least a month, maybe two, but it was taking a toll on me and my being.

Riddick stirred as well, cracking his eyes open and heaving a sigh of his own. Carol looked over at me as I stirred.

"Morning." She greeted, smiling.

I mumbled something incoherent before rubbing my face fiercely, only to regret it as I aggravated my wounds.

"Morning." I returned her greeting after a hiss of pain.

"What's wrong?" Lori asked.

Slightly surprised would be an understatement, but if she could play nice, so could I.

"Rope burn." I responded shortly, pushing myself to my feet and heading towards the RV. "Glenn is heavier than he looks. If you see him before I do, tell him he needs to lay off the rice and start jogging."

Climbing up the stairs, I prepared myself to look through the horrifying mess that surely awaited me in the depths of Dale's vehicle. Imagine my surprise to see a clean space with clean dishes, a clean floor, a clean table and a clean bedroom.

"Am I in the wrong RV?" I whispered in horror to Riddick who had his front paws perched on the stairs.

"Sophia did it." Carol said from behind me.

I turned to see Riddick hop down and move aside as the older woman came inside and opened the cabinets above the stove. She retrieved a First Aid Kit and sat at the table, motioning for me to sit as well.

"Never thought I'd see the day where I could see these…ugly linoleum floors."

"Well, she's been rather bored lately." Carol explained, popping open the lid and retrieving antibacterial cream and bandages. "With Carl unable to play with, I assume she's directed to a more mature method of dealing with her boredom."

"Ah." I said.

Carol slathered the cream on my hands and wrapped them both tightly with the rolls of linen bandages.

"There. Those should hold." She smiled at me before closing the lid and standing up, exiting the Winnebago.

"Thanks." I called out to her as she dispersed.

_**Wow, okay. I feel like this is becoming a routine. Once again, I'm sorry for the late update and how short it is. Whenever the Walking Dead Season starts up, I halt production of my story to focus on the television show because if I didn't my work would be sloppy and unprofessional. Like now. So after this upcoming Sunday, I will be posting quicker and more efficiently than before. Until next season that is. Thank you for being faithful! Love you guys!**_


	23. Don't Shoot Means Don't Shoot!

As I exited the Winnebago, I heard Carol speaking excitedly to Lori. Riddick followed behind me slowly, almost as if he was bored and was looking for anything to do.

"I had an idea I wanted to run by you." The timid woman ventured.

"Yeah? What's that?" Lori asked, clipping a shirt onto the clothes line.

"Well, that kitchen they have got me thinking. I wouldn't mind cooking in a real kitchen again. We could make Herschel and his people dinner. Like a thank you for his hospitality."

"Seems like the least we could do." Lori agreed.

As the brown haired woman heard me walk towards them with the intention to grab one of my shirts that was currently hanging next to the pair, Lori turned towards me.

"You'll help too, right Alice?"

The way she said it made me want to bristle, but I held back a bratty comment and shrugged.

"Sure, as long as you all don't mind stomach cramps and vomiting." I joked, smiling lightly.

Carol let out a small laugh and I was surprised when Lori cracked a smile.

"On second thought, stay away from the kitchen until _after _dinner, alright?" Lori said softly.

"Sure thing. I'll try to resist temptation." I said sarcastically, pulling the black t-shirt off the line and slipping it over my tank top. The cloth was still slightly damp and I relished in the temporary coolness of it. That is until Riddick pressed his warm body against me legs.

"I'm going to go see Carl." I stated, beginning to walk away. I hesitated. "If that's ok?" I asked politely.

"You won't catch me complaining." She said, surprise lacing her voice at my apparent sudden change of attitude.

It wasn't for really as it was for Rick. Whenever Lori and I started to get in a spat, he would always have to come in and smooth things out between us, and I didn't want him to have to worry about anything else. Plus, I needed to get on his good side if I was ever going to convince him to leave this place and continue onto Fort Benning.

"Alrighty then." I said, continuing on my way to the house.

As I was walking I saw Daryl heading my way, holding the reins of a chestnut mare. Said mare shied lightly as she spotted Riddick, but Daryl kept a firm hand on the mare, keeping her steady.

"Well, well." I drawled. "Where are you off to, Lone Ranger?"

"Rick wants me to do a little reconnaissance, look for a place to go if Herschel and his people want some space." Daryl grunted, stopping in front of me.

"And the horse?" I prompted.

"Four legs are quicker than two."

"I see. Where is everyone else?" I asked, looking around the apparently abandoned camp grounds.

"Rick and Herschel left a few minutes ago. Don't know why, so don't ask. Andrea, T-Dog and Shane left to look for a place to do gun practice. Glenn and the Maggie girl went out on a run. Can I go now?" Daryl said in exasperation, swinging up onto his mount.

"Sure, Mr. Antisocial. Go be…antisocial and stuff." I threw at him as he clapped his heels to the mare's sides.

He pretended to dip a nonexistent hat at me and gave a small smirk. I watched as the two rode away with a stupid smile on my face before shaking my head viciously and walking up the stairs into the house. I went straight up the stairs and hesitated on the second floor.

From door to door I went, knocking lightly and waiting to hear the voice of a boy.

"Come in." I heard after knocking on my third door.

Giving a sigh of relief, I pushed the wooden door open and stepped into the bright room. Carl was sitting on his bed toying around with Rick's sheriff hat. He looked up at me as I entered and smiled.

"Sup, Alice?" He asked, putting the hat on his head quickly.

"Don't you know you're supposed to take a hat off when a woman enters the room?" I asked, frowning at him.

He just shrugged and looked up at me.

"No manners." I sighed, pushing his hat down so it covered his eyes before taking a seat in the chair across from him. "So how are you feeling?"

"Ok, I guess. My side still hurts." He explained, his hand drifting to where his stitches and wound inevitably were.

"Well, that's to be expected." I put in, picking up one of the dusty books on the shelf closest to me.

I looked at the cover with interest. It was a Les Stroud Survival Guide. I looked at Carl cautiously before tucking the book tight against my side, away from the view of anyone else who might walk in.

"You saw nothing punk." I warned him.

Carl pretended to cover his eyes and look away.

"Good."

….

Carl and I spent almost an hour and a half talking before Lori and Herschel came in, ushering me out and telling me he needed his rest. I left quickly, my stolen book stuffed in my shirt. As I exited the house, I snapped my fingers at Riddick who had been waiting patiently for me outside.

Everyone was conjugated around the campfire. Rick, Shane and T-Dog were looking at each other with worry as Carol stood by, her hand over her mouth. Andrea was on top of the RV, her rifle out and scanning the horizon.

I felt a hand touch my shoulder, and I turned around worriedly to face an equally worried Dale.

"What's wrong?" I demanded.

"Daryl isn't back yet, honey." Dale started to explain. As I went to move away, intent on looking for my missing friend, he pulled me back. "Alice, calm down. Rick is going to organize a search."

I opened my mouth to volunteer, but Dale interrupted me. "You're not going."

He sounded apologetic as he informed me, and I stared at him angrily. "Are you kidding me?"

"Rick already has a team set up. He's giving Daryl 20 more minutes to show up."

I growled in frustration but began to walk to the RV, trying not to blow up on the old man in front of me. I heard him follow, and as we neared Dale let a comment float up to Andrea.

"What's with the Annie Oakley routine?" He joked.

Andrea turned a sour glare on Dale and responded, "I don't want to wash clothes anymore, Dale. I want to keep the camp safe. That alright with you?"

I narrowed my eyes at her bitchy answer and gritted my teeth. Her personality had become progressively worse as the days went on. I had asked her about it once, and she had replied, "I wanted to stay."

I didn't know what she had meant at that moment, but I did now. And it made me sick to think about it. Dale looked down and sighed, walking inside the RV as I stayed put, glancing out at the fields and woods that lay behind. I waited for the figure of a man and horse to emerge from the foliage, but it never happened.

Andrea casted a quick look at me before looking through the scope on her rifle again. I saw Glenn exit the RV and I followed him back towards the campfire. We were halfway there when I hear d Andrea shout.

"Walker! Walker!"

My eyes flashed to the direction she was aiming her gun, and I saw a faint bobbing shape emerge from the woods. I ran back to where I had been previously and squinted my eyes.

"Just one?" Rick asked uncertainly, coming up beside me and flinching away at the harsh sun.

Andrea nodded and grabbed her rifle.

"I bet I can get it from here." She said confidently.

"No!" Rick snapped. "Put the gun down!"

"Let us handle this." Shane said, hobbling forward on his injured ankle, pickaxe in hand.

"No, Shane!" Rick spoke again. "Herschel wants to deal with walkers!"

"What for? We got this, man!" Shane spoke, continuing towards the dead figure approaching us.

T-Dog and Glenn were right behind Shane, and the trio didn't stop. Rick cursed under his breath and darted into the vehicle to grab his revolver. I clapped a hand on my leg and Riddick heeled as I took off after the men in uncertainty.

My 20-20 vision was telling me that the walker was dragging something, and I knew that wasn't normal walker behavior. As we neared the shuffling creature, I spotted a familiar figure with a scruffy beard dragging a crossbow.

My heart sank into my stomach as I feared the worse. Suddenly, the wall of men in front of me halted as we observed the human in front of us.

"Daryl?" I squeaked out.

Daryl kept his eyes focused on the gun Rick had pointed at his head.

"That's the third time you pointed that thing at me." A panted. "You gonna pull the trigger this time or what?"

I let out a breath of relief and closed my eyes. I heard collective sighs around me until a gunshot broke the air. I opened my eyes in time to see Daryl hit the ground.

"No!" Rick screamed.

"Shit!" Shane gasped, running forward.

I got to the redneck first and my hands flew to his head, looking for the gunshot wound. Shane hovered over me and Rick knelt beside me. He spotted the wound before I did and brushed his hand across it to clear away the dirt and mud. It was a graze.

I let out a sigh of relief and stepped out of the way as Rick and Shane grabbed Daryl's arms, supporting him as they dragged the barely conscious Daryl towards the house.

"I was kidding." Daryl slurred, falling limp.

"Are those ears?" I asked shakily.

Dangling around Daryl's neck was a necklace of walker ears. Rick yanked the "jewelry" off his neck and stuffed it down his own shirt.

"Let's keep that between us."

I backed out of the way as we started forward and spotted Andrea and Dale running towards us.

"You dumb bitch!" I screamed.

Andrea looked flustered as I turned on her.

"He told you not to shoot! He said not to shoot!"

"I didn't know!" Andrea tried to defend herself.

I shoved her backwards roughly as I neared her, and the blonde stumbled backwards before lunging at me. She tackled me around my middle and I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of me. I sent me knee into her stomach and threw her off, pinning her arms to the ground with me knees.

I pulled back my fist and slammed it into her face twice before I felt a pair of arms pulling me off and holding me back.

Andrea stumbled her way up and went at me only to be apprehended by Dale.

"Alice, call off Riddick." T-Dog grunted, trying to hold me still.

I looked down and saw my baby stalking towards Andrea. I was tempted to sick him on her, but I knew I was already going to get hell for my brawl. No point in adding Riddick attacking Andrea to the list.

"Riddick! Stoppen! Sitzen!" I commanded bitterly in German.

As T-Dog let me go, Glenn grabbed my hand and began pulling me to the house.

"I wish it had been you!" Andrea snarled at me.

"I wish you stayed at the CDC!" I roared at her.

Glenn stepped in front of me as I tried to head back after her and pushed me roughly to the house. I allowed myself to be manhandled until I was inside and sitting in the living room. I could hear Rick, Shane and Herschel in one of the downstairs bedrooms.

I settled my face into my still bandaged hands and recoiled when I felt the sticky warmth of Andrea's blood. Glenn looked like he was unsure of what to do, and stared at me awkwardly.

"Uh," he tried. "You got one hell of a punch."

"Five brothers." I stated blandly, my ears straining to hear what was happening with my friends in the other room.

"Right." Glenn said, sitting next to me. "I forgot."

We both sat in silence before Glenn broke it.

"Never seen you get that angry before." Glenn commented weakly.

"That dumbass shot Daryl!" I seethed, clenching my hands together and wincing at the slight pain.

"You two have gotten pretty close." Glenn commented.

"He's…he's…I feel so guilty saying it, but…I feel like he's one of my…brothers." I managed to stutter out. "He's just like them. They would have loved Daryl."

Glenn put a hand on my back and gave me a pat.

"I had all sisters." He told me. "The only thing they passed on to me is how to match my clothes and sanitation rules."

I managed a laugh at that and leaned back against the couch as I heard a loud curse from an apparently conscious Daryl. I would wait for the Doc to bring me the news, and until I got that news I wasn't going anywhere.

_**I was bored. I decided to get a head start. And this is the product. The events that happen are going to be a little out of order until I get my timeline straight, so bear with me and maybe I'll have everything straightened out before the end of the second season. Fingers crossed!**_


End file.
